Selfie sticks have been banned from all of the main events at this year’s Emmy Awards — from the pre-show red carpet to the actual ceremony to the after-party Ball.
New York magazine’s Frank Rich tweeted out the official advisory of the ban on Saturday:
The ban is just the latest blow to President Obama’s favorite photo-taking accessory and one of Time magazine’s 25 Best Inventions of 2014. Some of summer’s biggest music festivals including Coachella and Lollapalooza announced in spring that they would outlaw the sticks, also due to safety concerns.
Also banning the sticks are Japanese high-speed rail lines, the glitzy Cannes Film Festival in France, London’s Wembley Stadium and oddly enough, Disneyland, after a guest pulled one out on a roller coaster, forcing the ride to make an emergency stop.
Despite gaining in popularity (and sophistication) since their introduction a couple years ago, selfie sticks continue to prove themselves a controversial accessory. Even the stick’s inventor, Wayne Fromm, concedes as much, telling Inside Edition he agreed with Disney’s decision to ban the stick from its parks.
“I agree with [Disney]. I think that’s prudent,” Fromm told the outlet after the ban went into effect. “It would be very dangerous, with the velocity of the rides and your hands. If somebody would let it go and all of a sudden, it [flies] into the crowd.”
Still, for others, safety concerns aren’t the primary gripe when dealing with the sticks.
“Anyone walking around with a prop to take pictures of themselves is a tool,” New Yorker Gregory Davis bluntly told the New York Post in December.
Maybe Emmy-goers can hide their selfie-taking by using a “Selfie Arm,” which makes it look as if you have actual friends to take your photos for you. Or maybe they could just put the phones down for a little while and enjoy the show.