Mahlagha Jaberi Dashtestani (Persian: , born 17 June 1989) is an Iranian model and social media influencer. In the late 2000s, while still residing in Iran, she gained significant attention by sharing images of her daily life on social media platforms such as Facebook and Myspace, attracting a large following among Iranian and Arab users. After immigrating to the United States, Jaberi pursued modeling more seriously through Instagram, establishing it as her primary career.
Early life and Career.
Mahlagha Jaberi was born on June 17, 1989, in Isfahan, Iran. She is the youngest member of her family and has three older sisters: Khatereh, Raheleh, and Arezou. Her sister Arezou was previously a model and has been active in the modeling field. Both Mahlagha and Arezoo began their modeling journeys by posing for photography projects directed by their sister Raheleh, a professional photographer.
During her teenage years, Mahlagha started her career as a face model in Iranian beauty salons and collaborated with bridal fashion houses. In its August 2024 issue, Vanity Fair Emirates quoted Jaberi on her entry into the fashion industry: "A nail decoration session at a beauty salon in Iran changed her life forever. When a Makeup Artist at the salon asked if she would model for a bridal photoshoot, this chance encounter sparked her career in fashion and opened new doors for her."
At the age of 19.5, Mahlagha moved to the United States, where she advanced her modeling career with greater dedication in California. In 2009, with the assistance of her sister Raheleh, she completed her first modeling project for the website Dreamstime. In 2012, she made her runway debut at the Negah Magazine Bridal Fashion Show in San Diego. She further elaborated in an interview with Pol magazine, stating that the support of her sister Raheleh Jaberi and other family members enabled her to pursue modeling as her primary profession.
In 2013, Jaberi collaborated with the bridal fashion brand "Pedram Pasha" and signed contracts with "Michael Costello", owner of the "Stello" brand, and "Walter Mendez". During 2014 and 2015, she walked the runway for "Pedram Pasha", "Stello", "Walter Mendez", and "Rochelle Carino" at "Los Angeles Fashion Week".
Controversies and Public Appearances.
Burak Özçivit – 2017.
In 2017, Mahlagha Jaberi sparked significant controversy by commenting "Seni Seviyoruz" ("We love you" in Turkish) on a post by prominent Turkish actor Burak Özçivit. While the comment increased her visibility among Turkish audiences and added to her fame, it also drew negative reactions from both Iranian and Turkish social media users. In a subsequent interview with the Iranian magazine "Pol", Jaberi revealed that Özçivit had blocked her on Instagram. She elaborated on the incident, stating:"It began when my family recommended a popular Turkish series for me to watch. I had heard so much about the show from people around me that I was curious to see what the buzz was all about. And since I love watching movies, especially a good romance, I fell in love with the entertaining storyline. At that time, all Iranians were talking about Burak’s character in the series and how his incredible acting showed so many emotions. With his portrayal on screen, it got us all emotional every time, and my family and friends became fans of his work. To compliment him on his work, I decided to reach out to let him know how much we love him by commenting, "We love you." Unfortunately, people took my comment the wrong way and interpreted it as I was "in love with him;" which was not true or correct. I personally believed he blocked me on social media to stop the rumors people started creating, but unfortunately, that just made things appear worse. It was not ideal behavior, and I did feel disrespected and confused at the time, but I don’t hate him. Just not a fan of Burak anymore."
Kira Lindbohm – 2021.
In 2021, Finnish blogger Kira Lindbohm, in an interview with a Finnish newspaper, accused Mahlagha Jaberi of stealing and photoshopping one of her images. Lindbom stated:"The unethical use of others’ content by influencers with millions of followers is truly disappointing. Taking inspiration or borrowing ideas is acceptable but copying and manipulating content that doesn’t belong to you is entirely unprofessional and unethical. In 2019, I traveled to Mexico and visited the beautiful city of Tulum. The stunning nature of Tulum inspired me, and I took several artistic photos, which I shared on my Instagram page. Incredibly, two years later, I saw one of my photos on the page of an influencer named Mahlagha Jaberi, who has millions of followers! The photo had garnered over 100,000 likes, but she had unprofessionally photoshopped her face onto mine and claimed the image as her own."The incident gained widespread attention in Finnish media, prompting a wave of criticism from Finnish social media users. Many condemned Jaberi's actions by posting critical comments on her social media posts. Jaberi removed the image from her Instagram page without issuing a public apology or explanation.
Cannes Film Festival – 2023.
In 2023, Jaberi appeared on the red carpet of the film The Old Oak at the 76th Cannes Film Festival in a dress with a rope-shaped neckline, in protest of the executions that took place after the 1401 Iranian uprising, The design of this dress attracted attention among the various glamorous outfits of those present on the red carpet. According to Jaberi, the phrase "Stop Executions" was written on the back of the dress, which was prevented from being shown by festival security forces. Jaberi then posted a video on her Instagram with the same dress and the hashtag #StopExecutionsInIran, showing her in a dark room and accompanied by sad music. Within a short time, the video and image of Jaberi wearing the dress went viral, with journalists, political commentators, and various government officials praising or criticizing her.
The video sparked polarized reactions on social media. While some users and supporters praised Jaberi's action as an attempt to raise awareness about social issues in Iran, others, including journalists, deemed the video irresponsible and controversial. Iranian journalist Yashar Ali expressed a differing opinion, criticizing Jaberi in a tweet:"As innocent Iranians are being executed, Mahlagha Jaberi thought it would be a good idea to wear a dress that has a noose sewn into it and then film a seductive video using a song that has become an anthem for protesters," Ali tweeted. "And then to end the video with ‘stop executions’ and no other context or information makes it unhelpful!"