Michelle Obama's Oscars dress (by Naeem Khan) wasn't particularly risque by U.S. standards ... but in Iran, well, that sort of thing is JUST NOT OKAY!
Fars News, a TV network in Iran, edited the First Lady's dress in a story about her Academy Awards appearance posted on their website (see below).
Note the digitally added sleeves and neckline. Oh, you clever Tehran TV editors. Good job shielding Iranian viewers from Michelle's provocative outfit.
Fars News states that Obama, who handed out the Best Picture award, was used as a prop simply because the winner was "the anti-Iranian film Argo."
Iranian Culture Minister Mohammad Hosseini lambasted it, saying, "The movie is an anti-Iran film. It is not a valuable film from the artistic point of view."
"It won the prize by resorting to extended advertisement and investment."
No word if they also altered Ben Affleck's Oscar speech. Kinda awkward.
In any case, Hosseini said America and specifically Hollywood has "distorted history" as part of what Iran calls a "soft war" of cultural influence against Iran.
Another Iranian official labeled Argo "an advertisement for the CIA."
The semiofficial Mehr news agency called the 2013 Academy Awards' top prize was "politically motivated," citing the First Lady's presentation of the award.
Iranian officials have repeatedly criticized the Ben Affleck film, which has not been screened in any Iranian theaters (yet is readily available in pirated form).
Still, Iranian officials were not the only ones to criticize Michelle Obama.
The surprising presenter, appearing via satellite, instantly drew head shakes and groans from journalists who questioned the merits of such a stunt.
"This makes no sense, it adds nothing to the show," one was quoted as saying, while another surmised the whole thing as something of a "suck job."
"They threw all the campaign parties, I guess it was Hollywood's way of acknowledging their continued love and support of the Obamas," said another.
To an extent, this is probably true, albeit not altogether surprising.
She did look great, though, especially minus the extra "coverage." Welcome to Michelle's gun show, Iran. You and your nuclear ambitions can suck on that.
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