Daggy item taking over Olympics

A short time ago, we wouldn’t have been caught dead with this. Now, it’s plaguing the streets. James Weir turns it up to full bore.

Paris is le chic city of style, known for luxury brands like Chanel, Louis Vuitton and … Temu?

The season’s hottest new accessory, popping up on European streets during the summer Olympics, might not have a designer logo but it does come in pastel pink and can be picked up from mass-market e-retailers for as little as 10 bucks.

Snoop Dogg whipping out his (Temu?) fan. Picture: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images

It appears to have come in very handy at the Men's Street Finals on day three of the Olympic Games. Picture: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images

Aussies take note: The handheld electric fan is everywhere. We’ll be seeing them on our own shores by December. It’s USB rechargeable and keeps you cool. Whether or not it makes you look cool is a different question.

In Paris, where temperatures are soaring into the thirties this week, you can practically hear the whirling as everyone whips out their personal cooling devices.

Even US rapper Snoop Dogg was snapped court-side at the games, keeping cool with a mini fan.

Snoop making it look somewhat stylish. Picture: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images

The portable fan has become the MVP of the Olympics. It’s as daggy and prevalent as the bum bag and the phone lanyard.

“I was at lunch yesterday, sitting next to a mum who had a fan strapped to the handle of her stroller – but it was pointing at herself,” says Emily Jackson, an American influencer who has lived in the French capital for a decade.

The portable fan has become the MVP of the Olympics. Picture: news.com.au

“The thing is, there’s no AC in Paris because the buildings are too old and the current mayor is very eco conscious. When it gets as hot as it has been right now, you’ve gotta stay cool any way you can.

“If the electric hand fan is what has come out of all of this, more power to us.”

For years, cognitive scientists have warned humans will develop “phone claw” from constant use of their mobile devices. Now, we need to worry about “fan talon”.

The handheld electric fan is everywhere. Picture: news.com.au

It can be picked up from mass-market e-retailers for as little as 10 bucks. Picture: news.com.au

Not long ago, we all would’ve preferred to have unsightly sweat patches on our backs than be caught dead holding a portable fan in public.

But, like most things in the modern world, we feel comfortable taking part once it has been deemed acceptable on social media. In recent weeks, the mini pink fan has been spinning at full bore on TikTok.

In Paris, where temperatures are soaring into the thirties this week, you can practically hear the whirling. Picture: news.com.au

A recent clip on the video sharing platform from creator @fkdarkor implored men to not be above the dainty device.

“Fellas, it’s hot outside. Don’t let shame stop you from getting a bad b**ch fan off of Amazon,” he empowered his followers.

But, as tourists flood the sweaty streets of Paris during the Olympics, what do the stylish locals think of all these tiny fans being toted around like a Fendi purse?

Emily Jackson, who has only noticed the devices appearing this summer, says Parisians will happily accept the lame accessory for one reason.

“For them, they’d consider is more gauche to have airconditioning than to have a handheld fan. The French are convinced AC makes you sick,” she says.

“If they’re going to revolt against AC, then they need something when it’s hot out. And I guess it’s the hand fan.”

Facebook: @hellojamesweir