If you’ve watched Cruella, you know the famous moth dress scene. But did you know that Paris Fashion Week was recently plagued by a different type of critter – bed bugs? Like Paris’s Cruella, Mother Nature has released an army of bed bugs. From the catwalks to runways, the bed bugs travel with the help of their involuntary companions. Paris Hilton, Gigi Hadid, and Kendall Jenner are among the few celebrities who were cautioned about returning to the States. Bed bugs, or “punaise de lit,” as they would call them in France, are notorious for being insects with a reputation for being difficult to eradicate and might not spread diseases. Still, they sure do create significant disruptions to schedules and events.
What did the sudden interest in bed bugs come from?
The bed bugs debuted with a bang worldwide this particular Paris Fashion Week. Instead of the fashion the week was devoted to, bed bugs made headlines for simply being present. Thanks to the bed bug’s exquisite taste profile, they decided to take over Paris during fashion week, which means all the celebrities and influencers who had traveled there have a chance of bringing them back to their countries. According to “The Bedbugs in Paris: Here’s What We Know So Far” BY OLIVIA MORELLI AND CHARLIE HOBBS “…between 2017 and 2022, more than one in 10 French households reported bedbug infestations, according to ANSES, the French health and safety agency.” Paris is no stranger to bed bugs. However, recent events might bless other countries with the same gift.
Karma?
Why karma? What does that have to do with the bed bug invasion? As most of you know, Paris is a highly visited city. It attracts “….over 30 million tourists a year,” reports Condor Ferries. The increase is no fault of Paris itself. Tourists and travelers who come to France or have connecting flights from there could travel bed bugs with them. The upsurge is “due to the rise in travel and the increasing resistance of bed bugs to insecticides,” ANSES (the French health agency). Tourists can carry bed bugs with them in luggage and clothing. With so many traveling every year, the increase in bed bugs was bound to happen. However, the bed bugs are now traveling back with the people whose countries have the most tourists going there, as Taylor Swift would say, “Step by Step from town to town. Sweet like justice, karma is a queen.”
Like the people at the moth show in Cruella, celebrities fled from Paris; we’ll never know whether they knew they might carry bed bugs back with them. This was a shocking turn of events as no one would have expected such a minor bug to make such a big commotion. That too at such a huge event. Yes, bed bugs can survive travel. Will they take over the states next? That’s the primary concern in most of our minds. Yet, for now, all we have to worry about is them infesting the celebrity’s houses and seeing where that takes us.
