There are a million reasons to hate group selfies, but now there’s a new one: Pose with the wrong person and you could wind up with head lice.
A Dallas woman who specializes in head lice removal says selfies might be to blame for a recent boom in the bothersome bugs, which are typically found in the tousled hair of school-age children.
“People taking group selfies, it’s just like a chain reaction,” Hair Fairies‘ Loren Hickman told FOX4News. “You take a picture with one person, you’re taking a picture with another person. That bug can actually spread that quick.”
A head lice epidemic is gaining steam in the United States. And to make matters worse, mutant lice that are resistant to over-the-counter treatments have been found in 25 states.
It makes total sense that selfies could be at least part of the problem: Lice don’t jump or fly — they crawl. And when two (or more) people jam themselves together and mug for the camera, their manes can make contact long enough for an infestation to spread.
“They’re holding the phone up, putting their head close to their friend,” Hickman said. “It only takes a second.”
Might this selfie scare be a tad overblown? Sure. But if it cuts down on the number of people posing in public — selfie sticks jutting out, totally oblivious to what’s going on around them — that can only be a good thing.
One wag has already called for banning selfies as a result. Let caution be your watchword!
