Selfie Stick Ban at Smithsonian Art Museum

You may feel like your latest selfie was a work of art, but one Smithsonian museum is telling patrons to keep their next selfie a safe distance away from their art.

The Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum has banned selfie sticks. The arm-extending smartphone mounts have become all the rage as phone users become increasingly obsessed with getting a picture of their smiling mug beside their friends, their lunch, and, apparently, their visit to the National Mall.

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A museum spokesperson told NBC Washington the selfie stick ban is supposed to protect artwork from damage and patrons from potential injury. Selfie fans shouldn’t take it personally, tripods and camera stands are already banned at the museum.

Other Smithsonian sites on the Mall don’t have a policy yet on selfie sticks, according to WJLA. Some museums in the city, including the Newseum, carry selfie sticks in gift shops. And the Spy Museum recently participated in #MuseumSelfieDay.

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