Paris Bedbug Outbreak Causes Panic Among Fashion Workers and Influencers
Upon waking up in her Paris hotel room last week, Malvika Sheth noticed that she had itchy feet and swollen calves. At first, she dismissed it as her skeeter syndrome acting up, which typically causes her body to react exaggeratedly to mosquito bites. However, her curiosity was piqued when she checked TikTok and stumbled upon numerous videos about a bedbug outbreak in the City of Lights, coinciding with Paris fashion week. These blood-thirsty creatures had potentially exposed thousands of fashion workers and influencers to their bites.
Parisians’ social media feeds were bombarded with clips showcasing bedbugs crawling over seats on the metro, and others posted close-up shots of the red bumps that appeared on their skin after visiting chain cinemas. “We are freaking out about ‘la puce’,” exclaimed Alfredo Mineo, an American writer living in Paris. “There are mattresses lined up on my street with signs warning people not to touch them. Now I have to coexist with ratatouille and la puce.” It’s worth mentioning that bedbugs are referred to as “punaises de lit” in French.
Yaz Bukey, a Parisian accessories designer and art director, initially believed that the reports about bedbugs in Paris were exaggerated. She noted that during fashion week, only foreigners seemed concerned about it. However, the issue has gained momentum, and more people are now talking about it. Bukey expressed, “I’m feeling very itchy, but luckily, I haven’t been bitten yet.”
Last week, Paris’s deputy mayor, Emmanuel Grégoire, cautioned, “In reality, no one is safe … you can catch bedbugs anywhere and bring them home.” Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened to Sheth. She had planned to take her 117,000 followers on a journey through events hosted by renowned labels like Dior and Maje. Little did she expect to bring any unwanted pests back with her.
Sheth spent her Wednesday meticulously cleaning all the clothes she had worn in Paris. “Even if I only wore it for 10 minutes, it’s going in the wash,” she declared. “Burning or freezing them is out of the question since these clothes are quite expensive. I’ll double wash them and hope and pray that nothing has followed me back home.”
There are two expert-approved methods for removing these unwelcome hitchhikers from clothes. One option is to run them through a high-heat dryer for an hour, while the other is to leave them in the freezer for two to three days. (Burning is not recommended, although the fashion community can be dramatic.)
On social media, people began blaming editors and influencers for bringing bedbugs back to New York and Los Angeles. One tweet even suggested, “Can we ban flights from France starting now?? NYC doesn’t need a bedbug boom.” Daniella Sinder, an actor and writer in New York, shared a video from different vintage stores in the city, teasing, “Quick thrift trip before the Parisian bedbugs arrive and make it a high-risk activity.”
For now, the fear of a New York outbreak remains speculative. The New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene stated that they have not received any reports of a Paris infestation reaching the US. Dr. Jim Fredericks, an entomologist and senior vice-president of public affairs at the National Pest Management Association, explained, “It’s too early to determine if this infestation has affected American cities. Bedbugs in France and the US look and behave similarly, so we may never truly know the extent of the impact the Paris infestations are having on US travelers.”
Brooke Borel, a science writer and author of “Infested: How the Bed Bug Infiltrated Our Bedrooms and Took Over the World,” emphasized that having bedbug bites does not necessarily mean that a person is spreading the infestation. “Bedbugs are visible to the human eye,” she stated. “It’s crucial to inspect clothes, suitcases, and bedding. Even if someone brought bedbugs home, there won’t be many – possibly just one or two.”
Some of the clothing worn during Paris fashion week may be too delicate for a dryer, but that shouldn’t be an excuse not to treat them. “You can use a steamer instead,” Borel suggested. “I assume that people attending fashion week have access to a steamer.”
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