Cannes festival director reminds attendees that selfies are not glamorous

Ah, selfies. A time for self-reflection, a time for sacrifice, a time for wondering if it’s just the lighting or if your face is really shaped like that. Teens take risky selfies, sloths take adorable selfies, and Kim Kardashian just published an entire coffee table book of selfies. But the Cannes Film Festival begins next week, and the organizers want to send a little reminder about selfies: you look really dumb taking them.

Cannes festival director Thierry Fremaux recently announced an unofficial selfie ban on the red carpet, saying, “You never look as ugly as you do in a selfie,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. “We don’t want to prohibit it, but we want to slow down the process of selfies on the steps,” he added.

THR notes that the stairs of the Cannes red carpet often become a bottleneck of amateur photographers trying to capture the moment on their phones. Sure, maybe shaming people who take selfies will ease the Cannes traffic situation, or maybe we’re already post-shame. The security guards will give selfie-takers a “serious warning” but won’t be confiscating any phones.