Iran Photoshops Sleeves Onto Michelle Obama's Oscar Gown

Those shoulders too racy for their audiences

Iran's semi-official Fars news agency Photoshopped pictures of Michelle Obama at the Oscars to conform to Iranian restrictions on images of the female body in the media.

Fars, which is affiliated to the Islamic republic's elite Revolutionary Guards, redesigned the US first lady's dress so that it covered her chest and shoulders in a picture showing her announcing that Argo had won best picture, via a video link from the White House.

Rules dictate that Iranian women shown on Iran's state television should have a hijab that covers their hair, arms and legs. The length of the censor's ruler varies for foreigners. A foreign woman travelling inside the Islamic republic should comply with the same restriction on Iranian women, but those shown on TV, such as dignitaries or actors, are tolerated without the hijab, up to a point.