Selfie Stick banned at Major Museums in Paris

The extendable rods which are waved around are seen as a threat to the priceless collection of art works

In this ‘selfie’ era, the selfie sticks were all that we needed and they have managed to attract a large base of fans which now even include Boris Johnson and Barack Obama. The selfie sticks are extendable rods which are designed to let people take better pictures from a distance with their mobile phones. Regardless of their convenience, they are not impressing everyone equally. As reported by Telegraph, some major museums, particularly those in Paris, have started to ban the selfie sticks.

The guards at the Palace of Versailles are not letting visitors take inside their selfie sticks with fear that they have the potential to damage mirrors, furnishings or works of art. The ban is now going to get into effect formally within a few weeks’ time.

Another museum at Paris, The Pompidou Centre, has also followed suit as confirmed by the management. The Louvre also has similar concerns about the large sticks being waved around within the premises and the management has shown their interest in placing the ban as they are worried about the selfie sticks being waved around close to the priceless Mona Lisa. The spokeswoman for the museum has said that “Users must follow the rules and not point any objects at paintings, sculptures.”

No flash, no comercial photo, no selfie-stick BUT SELFIES ARE FINE
“Shootbklyn: My kind of place…. http://t.co/hqH28yo0Gi” #MuseumSelfie Day— Lola Liquete (@lolaliquete) January 21, 2015

While some tourists are considering this an unfortunate decision, others are ready to compromise and understand the situation. Peter Greene, 41, a visitor from Birmingham said, “I don’t see why anyone should object to them outdoors, but I understand why they might cause problems in confined spaces, especially if they’re as crowded as this place.”

This ban can also possibly affect the large pool of tourists. Majority of the visitors at the museums are there only to take souvenir photographs with the art works and if the selfie sticks are banned, some might not even consider turning towards these places.