Are Bed Bugs the New Models on the Catwalk?

design: Gianna Lanfrank

Est-ce une bed bug?

by AVA SWIDLER ★ OCTOBER 25, 2023

Number one tip if you attended this year’s Paris Fashion Week: avoid the bed bugs. I’m not kidding. There is an infestation in the city of love and it's actually really gross.

 French officials have warned there was a widespread amount of bed bugs during the most important week of the year: Paris fashion week. Tourists were expected to flee Paris over the span of a few weeks, and possibly carry over into 2024, which could potentially affect the Olympics.

Viral videos on social media have shown bed bugs creeping and crawling all over the seats of the Paris metro, trains, taxis, and hotels; basically everywhere you are, so are they. 

Parisians don’t seem to worry as much as the tourists do, the fear of bringing the bed bugs back home is what scares them the most. Over the course of fashion week, attendees have been sharing their own advice on how to kill and avoid getting contaminated by these bed bugs. Many are uploading posts about bed bug killers found on amazon, even going to the extent of putting luggage in bathtubs away from the beds.  

But, what exactly are these terrorizing insects? They are blood feeding bugs that sit on the surface of couches and beds and they do their dirty work at night. They leave behind red bite marks in scattered patterns, resulting in itching that causes further pain.

Rumors are spread across Paris Fashion Week—nearly as fast as this infestation. Celebs, such as Mayra Peralta, are utilizing social media as a way of getting the word out on where she sees the bed bugs, and posts,“Whoever is having FOMO about this Paris Fashion Week must know that one of my editor friends saw bedbugs at one particularly upscale restaurant today.”  

This isn't the first time bed bugs have infested Paris. Ever since 2017, Paris and other parts of France have been infested. In fact, it has been found that over 11% of French households are infested with bedbugs. In 2020, the French government launched a very specific campaign that included a bed bug hotline. The French government is currently doing a lot to tackle the issue; including bed bug coverage in home insurance, creating dedicated task forces, and deep cleaning public transportation.

So, attendees of Paris Fashion Week stay safe and look out for the bed bugs, because your new Gucci sweater and Chanel tweed jacket might have been previously worn; and not by a human.