The Powerful Impact Angelina Jolie Has On Her Fans
Angelina Jolie first captured audiences' attention in 1982, when she made her acting debut alongside her famous father, John Voight, in Lookin' to Get Out. And, well, she hasn't stopped captivating people since. Between her Academy-Award-winning acting, critically-acclaimed directing, and much-lauded humanitarian work, she is a force of nature — it's no surprise Angelina Jolie has such a stunning net worth! Of course, there's also the looks that have landed her on countless "most beautiful in the world" lists.
So, it doesn't come as a surprise that Jolie has a weird and powerful impact on her fans — especially those who bear a striking resemblance to her. Being a Jolie doppelganger isn't just an honor for these fans; it's a game-changer. Whether they decide to use their likeness to the stunning star to their advantage or are simply trying to learn to deal with the unwanted attention, the following fans can attest to the strange and life-altering effect Jolie has on their lives. In short, the power of Jolie's celebrity can truly be transformative.
It's quite surreal
You're walking down the street, just heading to the post office to drop a letter in the mail, and someone runs up to ask you for your autograph. Such is life for Melissa Baizen — albeit her "fans" actually think they're getting a signature from Angelina Jolie.
In reality, Baizen is an optical manager who lives in Wisconsin with her partner and their kids. You can't blame people for being confused, though. With her striking features, Baizen could pass for Jolie's double. "I do get recognized. I get stared at quite a lot," she told Hello! magazine in 2017. "I find it funny. It's quite surreal. She has always been an idol of mine."
Despite constantly being confused for a woman widely considered to be one of the world's most beautiful, Baizen hasn't let it go to her head. On the contrary, she suffers from low self-esteem! "It's crazy to be compared to her. I've always been so hard on myself," she said, adding, "I wish I had her smile, I hate my teeth."
The next big screen star?
Keeping Up With the Kardashians star and cosmetics maven Kylie Jenner stays in the headlines, so it didn't take long for model Mara Teigen to go viral after starring in Jenner's "Glosses" music video. And while that is undoubtedly due in part to Jenner's celebrity, it's arguably even more so due to Jolie's. With her expressive eyes and pillowy lips, Teigen definitely boasts near-identical features to Jolie.
Plus, it would seem Teigen is following in Jolie's footsteps. In July 2018, she shared that she graduated from acting school — and, in the corresponding photo, she's wearing a Jolie-esque white, tailored pantsuit. In May, with her hair in a ponytail and wearing athleisurewear, Teigen gave off major Tomb Raider vibes.
While Teigen doesn't cop to any plastic surgery to get her distinctive Jolie look, she does admit to slightly tweaking her looks cosmetically. "I am not ashamed to admit that I get muscle relaxers (Botox) in my forehead," she explained on Instagram.
Insta-famous carbon copy
The world couldn't even in 2015 when a young Scottish woman by the name of Chelsea Marr became Instagram famous for — what else? — looking like a carbon copy of Jolie. Seriously, it's uncanny.
In a since-deleted Facebook post on her newfound celebrity, Marr proved to be forthcoming when her new fans asked about her Jolie-esque face. "Anyone who knows me knows I am extremely open and really don't mind discussing it," Marr said (via HuffPost) about plastic surgery rumors. "I have had lip fillers yes, not to look like anyone else but just because I wanted them a bit fuller just like all the other women that have had theirs done."
Marr also revealed that she had a nose job (she attributes it to correcting a prior nose injury) and breast augmentation. However, she maintains that she didn't do anything specifically to resemble Jolie. Some girls have all the luck, right?
A dangerous case of devotion
Sahar Tabar became a social media sensation for reportedly going to dramatic lengths to look like Jolie. Various sites speculated that Tabar endured as many as 50 surgeries — this received so much attentions that Snopes weighed in, contending that such an estimate is extremely high.
All of this speculation appears to be futile, though, considering that Tabar herself refuted the claims in an interview with Russian outlet Sputnik in 2017: "It is Photoshop and makeup," she said. "Every time I publish a photo I make my face more fun. It is my way of self expression, a kind of art. My followers know that this is not my real face." As for trying to emulate Jolie physically, Tabar insists that was "never" her aim.
However, Tabar's shrinking frame would be difficult to fake. The Jolie lookalike admits to trying to lose weight, but she insists she hasn't lost anywhere near the 100 pounds suggested in headlines. At the time of her interview with Sputnik, she claimed to weigh around 119 pounds. Health experts aren't so sure, though. "Most of the distortion is from anorexia," celebrity plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Salzhauer told Newsweek, cautioning that Tabar needs hospitalization or "she may die of starvation."
The downside of being Jolie? Dating!
It may seem like being Jolie's "twin" means winning at life, but it isn't always such a positive thing — at least if you ask Canadian model Veronica Black. Although the Vancouver native frequently fetches compliments for her striking appearance, she claims her sultry Jolie resemblance could be costing her love.
In 2015, Black told The Daily Mail that most men are too intimidated to ask her out. "Sometimes men get really nervous and start sharking when I talk to them, which is weird as I'm a nice person and there's definitely nothing to be scared of," she said.
But Black hasn't exactly shied away from comparisons to Jolie. She acknowledges that people began pointing out the resemblance after she got lip fillers and breast augmentation, and she was "obviously flattered" to be likened to Jolie. She even enjoys the occasional correspondence from fans. "I've had all kinds of weird messages, but the one that really sticks out in my mind is an email from a man begging me to save his country," Black said, alluding to Jolie's status as the UN Goodwill Ambassador. "Luckily, most of my mail is relatively normal."
Turning a little resemblance into a lot of gain
Hailed by the Huffington Post as "the best Angelina Jolie lookalike" they've ever seen, Spanish actress Lina Sands sure looks the part. On the doppelganger's Facebook page, it's clear she plays the part, too. From walking red carpets to doing interviews at exclusive events, Sands has this Jolie lookalike thing down pat.
Per Huffington Post, that's precisely the goal. Sands has reportedly studied acting and is pursuing a career as a Jolie impersonator. She must be doing a pretty decent job of it, because in December 2017 she traveled the press circuit with other working lookalikes — impersonators of Mr. Bean, Johnny Depp, and Will Smith. Sands also posted what appears to be a promo reel of her work on TV and in film to both her Instagram and YouTube accounts, implying life as a Jolie knock-off can be lucrative if you lean into it.
If you're ever bored and need to pass the time, try this fun game: head to Sands' IG feed and try to figure out which pictures are her and which have to be Jolie.
There goes the Jolie-hood
Alas, not all Jolie lookalikes know how to leverage their movie star appearance into a life of glitz and glamour. There are the Chelsea Marrs and the Lina Sands of the world, sure. But there are also the Luminita Perijocs.
In 2014, the U.K.'s Mirror revealed that Perijocs — who, according to friends, models herself after Jolie — attacked a cab driver after he refused her sexual advances. Per the Mirror, cabbie Nicolae Stan had been hired by Perijocs to deliver bags to her apartment. When he arrived, she allegedly dragged him into her home and demanded sex. When he failed to acquiesce after multiple demands, Perijocs stabbed the cabbie around six times.
Miraculously, Stan escaped and contacted the authorities, who arrested the Jolie super-fan. However, her sentence of five years was shorted to four due to the fact she had been "impaired" by high strength medication at the time of the attack.
We can't forget about Octo-mom!
In 2009, a woman by the name of Nadya Suleman gave birth to one of the few full sets of octuplets to be born alive in the United States. Shockingly, though, that wasn't the only reason Suleman made headlines. For starters, it soon came out that Suleman already had six other children — whom she largely provided for through public assistance.
But Suleman also generated quite a bit of buzz over just how much she looked like Jolie, and speculation as to whether that was the byproduct of genetics or going under the knife. In 2017, Sulemon finally addressed these allegations. "I think that was like years ago. This is so far away from the place I'm in right now, to think of any celebrity," she told Huffington Post.
Since her Octo-mom fame put her on the map, Sulemon has changed her first name from "Nadya" to "Natalie." And, for the record, she denies having any work done on her face, responding to the suggestion, "No, no."