Error occured during this request! Please try again later.
Interview
Shabnam Barani, 24, is known as ‘Miss Instagram’ among her fans. Photo: Shabnam Barani / Rahel Photography
Shabnam Barani, 24, known as ‘Miss Instagram’ among her fans, was born in Mahabad, Iran – a predominantly Kurdish city that was home to the only independent Kurdish state in 1946. She was just four years old when her family moved to Norway. With nearly half a million Instagram followers, she has become a famous Kurdish photo model. Barani says she embarked on modeling because there are very few Kurds participating in the field.
In the future, Barani says she has plans to open a psychiatry clinic in the Kurdistan Region capital of Erbil. She visited the city with her family this week for this purpose.
Below is an interview Rudaw's Hiwa Selah conducted with the social media star. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Rudaw: Who is Shabnam Barani?
Shabnam Barani: I am from East (Iranian) Kurdistan and I was born in Mahabad. I was four when we left Mahabad. I grew up in Norway. My father is from Mahabad and my mother is from Raniya in South Kurdistan [Kurdistan Region of Iraq]. I am 24-years-old.
When was the last time you returned to East Kurdistan?
It has been seven years now. Relatives on the side of my father have left East Kurdistan. They have either moved to Kurdistan or Europe. I often visit South Kurdistan where there are the relatives of my mother, the majority of whom live in Raniya.
What do you study?
I am in my last year of psychiatry college. Next year, I will finish and will return to Kurdistan to open a clinic of my own. I therefore very often visit the Kurdistan Region in order to also improve my Kurdish. We are making preparations for the opening of the clinic.
Did you choose to study psychiatry or it was the choice of your parents?
I always felt alone when I was a child. This feeling grew with me. I did not have friends at school and did not have self-confidence. The weather in Norway is very cold. The city where I was living used to be nighttime for six months, and daytime the other six months. All these things had impacts on me. I therefore decided to study in this field in order to assist those people suffering from the same psychological problems I had.
How did you choose modeling?
I was just 16 when I started modeling. Only Facebook was available at the time to post my photos. Many times I would receive appreciation while other times criticism for what I was doing. Those working in this area were very few. Therefore, most eyes were on me. When Instagram came, my fans named me ‘Miss Instagram.’ This title increased the burden on my shoulders. My modeling work and the publication of my photos on social media were well-received and would resonate, making me famous among people. Initially, my parents did not agree with me about doing modeling, but later I persuaded them that I was doing a normal thing.
How many hours do you spend on social media?
Since I have many fans, I must often make new posts on Instagram because if I do not, my fans will unfollow me. Sometimes I work for 10 hours and still post photos when I get back home and chat with my fans. So I spend a lot of time on social media.
You look happy and smiling all the time on social media. Are you really like that in real life?
Everyone has their own mask, putting on a different one on social media. So nobody is the person you see in reality. Like any other person, I have my own mask. Though I am really happy in real life, I am very sensitive and sometimes get depressed. Such feelings are less apparent on social media.
Do you receive marriage proposals on social media?
Yes, of course I do receive a lot of proposals in and outside Kurdistan. Some of those proposing marriage are my relatives, but marriage cannot be done through Instagram. I do not want a man to marry me just because of my pictures. I am 24-years-old and too young to get married. For me, the right time to marry is when I turn 27.
In the future, Barani says she has plans to open a psychiatry clinic in the Kurdistan Region capital of Erbil. She visited the city with her family this week for this purpose.
Below is an interview Rudaw's Hiwa Selah conducted with the social media star. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Rudaw: Who is Shabnam Barani?
Shabnam Barani: I am from East (Iranian) Kurdistan and I was born in Mahabad. I was four when we left Mahabad. I grew up in Norway. My father is from Mahabad and my mother is from Raniya in South Kurdistan [Kurdistan Region of Iraq]. I am 24-years-old.
When was the last time you returned to East Kurdistan?
It has been seven years now. Relatives on the side of my father have left East Kurdistan. They have either moved to Kurdistan or Europe. I often visit South Kurdistan where there are the relatives of my mother, the majority of whom live in Raniya.
What do you study?
I am in my last year of psychiatry college. Next year, I will finish and will return to Kurdistan to open a clinic of my own. I therefore very often visit the Kurdistan Region in order to also improve my Kurdish. We are making preparations for the opening of the clinic.
Did you choose to study psychiatry or it was the choice of your parents?
I always felt alone when I was a child. This feeling grew with me. I did not have friends at school and did not have self-confidence. The weather in Norway is very cold. The city where I was living used to be nighttime for six months, and daytime the other six months. All these things had impacts on me. I therefore decided to study in this field in order to assist those people suffering from the same psychological problems I had.
How did you choose modeling?
I was just 16 when I started modeling. Only Facebook was available at the time to post my photos. Many times I would receive appreciation while other times criticism for what I was doing. Those working in this area were very few. Therefore, most eyes were on me. When Instagram came, my fans named me ‘Miss Instagram.’ This title increased the burden on my shoulders. My modeling work and the publication of my photos on social media were well-received and would resonate, making me famous among people. Initially, my parents did not agree with me about doing modeling, but later I persuaded them that I was doing a normal thing.
How many hours do you spend on social media?
Since I have many fans, I must often make new posts on Instagram because if I do not, my fans will unfollow me. Sometimes I work for 10 hours and still post photos when I get back home and chat with my fans. So I spend a lot of time on social media.
You look happy and smiling all the time on social media. Are you really like that in real life?
Everyone has their own mask, putting on a different one on social media. So nobody is the person you see in reality. Like any other person, I have my own mask. Though I am really happy in real life, I am very sensitive and sometimes get depressed. Such feelings are less apparent on social media.
Do you receive marriage proposals on social media?
Yes, of course I do receive a lot of proposals in and outside Kurdistan. Some of those proposing marriage are my relatives, but marriage cannot be done through Instagram. I do not want a man to marry me just because of my pictures. I am 24-years-old and too young to get married. For me, the right time to marry is when I turn 27.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment