Museums, soccer stadiums and music venues are just a few of the possible locations from New York to Los Angeles to London where the selfie sticks may no longer be welcomed.
While some places don’t allow photography to begin with, others include the selfie stick in its ban of camera equipment. However, there are some places that are specifically singling out the selfie stick while others are in the process of determining whether or not to ban the product.
The New York Times discovered three potential problems the sticks could cause at museums.
1. Invasion of Space
“From now on, you will be asked quietly to put it away,” said Sree Sreenivasan, chief digital officer at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. “It’s one thing to take a picture at arm’s length, but when it is three times arm’s length, you are invading someone else’s personal space.”
2. Damage to Artwork
“We do not want to have to put all the art under glass,” said Deborah Ziska, chief of public information at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
3. Guest Safety
“If people are not paying attention in the Temple of Dendur, they can end up in the water with the crocodile sculpture,” Sreenivasan said. “We have so many balconies you could fall from, and stairs you can trip on.”
The Art Institute of Chicago isn’t willing to risk damage to its exhibits for a selfie either, so it asks its guests to check selfie sticks for the same reason guests must check large umbrellas, according to the Chicago Tribune. However, the museum insists it isn’t anti-selfie.
“Last summer, Katy Perry came in, posted a selfie, and it went wild,” Rebecca Baldwin, the institute’s director of public affairs, said. “We love selfies. We just think the sticks are potentially dangerous.”
Aside from museums, other tourist attractions also are creating security measures around selfie sticks. Rome’s Colosseum created a ban to protect the 2,000-year-old monument that attracts 16,000 visitors daily, according to AP.
“The twirling around of hundreds of sticks can become unwittingly dangerous,” Colosseum spokesman Christiano Brughitta said.
Premier League stadiums in England have initiated bans as well. Their concern is inappropriate use, according to Mirror.
“We can confirm that ‘selfie sticks’ are banned on match days at Emirates Stadium [where London’s Arsenal team plays],” a spokesman said. “The club’s ground regulations prohibit any object that could be used as a weapon or could compromise public safety.”
Tottenham Hotspur, another London club, also banned the device after a fan complaint.
Stadiums that host music events in Australia have banned the item, citing in their ticket terms that they would refuse entry to those carrying what they called “wands of narcissism,” according to the The Sydney Morning Herald. The Wembley SSE and O2 arenas in London adopted a similar policy, according to NME.
“Selfies are a big part of the gig experience,” a spokesperson for the Wembley said. “The sticks might mean you are refused entry to the venue so our advice is don’t bring them and stick with the tried and tested use of an arm.”
