Cannes Asked Attendees to “Refrain” From Selfies On the Red Carpet, Because They Don’t Like Fun Or Joy?

Damn, Cannes Film Festival. I mean, I know you’re fancy and all, but no selfies on the red carpet? No selfies?! What’s next, no flat shoes for women? Oh, wait.

This year, the world’s premier film festival is trying to put the kibosh on selfies on the red carpet, and celebrities like Salma Hayek, Amy Poehler, and Colin Farrell have varying opinions on the subject, which are expressed in the video above.

As for me, I don’t see what the big deal is. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – selfies aren’t about self-obsession (if you’re self-obsessed, it wasn’t the selfies that did it) or any more about “not being in the moment” than regular photos are. Since the dawn of photography, people have taken pictures to capture and commemorate meaningful events. The second it takes to click off a photo doesn’t deprive us of “being in the moment” the rest of the time. And selfies can be a way of capturing a personalized, important moment in our lives in an intimate way that the flash bulbs of professional press photographers at a world-renowned film festival can’t. It seems silly to me that, with the advent of new technology, there’s always this fear and backlash as if the new tech, in and of itself, can change us. It can’t. The only thing that can change us is us.

All I know is, if I ever have the opportunity to walk the red carpet at Cannes, best believe I’m taking a selfie. Because I’ll likely be excited, dammit. I’ll want to commemorate the moment, and the powers that be at Cannes are not going to spoil my fun. So there.

(via The Hollywood Reporter, image via Serge Laroche on Flickr)

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