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Can your body type cause you to get screened extra at the airport? One woman says that it can and that it happens to her all the time.
Juliet Kulusic (@jukulubutshesfunny) titled a post about the extra attention she purportedly gets from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) “JFK reminding me body is tea.” She’s apparently referring to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
“I always get patted down because I got honkers,” she says.
Kulusic believes having a larger chest gets her flagged for extra screening.
“They’re always like that’s too much […] in that area,” she continues.
A trip she took in June was no different. This time she got even more screening than usual.
“Hey can I pat you down?” the first TSA agent asked, per Kulusic. She replied, “Yeah girl go for it. Please. We’re besties.”
Then two more female TSA agents patted her down.
The last one asked what she had in there.
“I was like, ‘Nothing.’ And she was like,’That’s just your boobs?’” Kulusic recalls.
When she responded in the affirmative, she says the woman replied, “That’s crazy.”
Too Big For TSA?
Going through security is probably travelers’ biggest headache.
Part of this because screening requirements seem to change like the weather. Shoes on or off? Laptop in the bag or out of the bag? Can I bring a bottle of water?
It can also feel invasive and biased.
The TSA patdown is essentially an escalation of the regular screening. It’s intended to catch people trying to bring prohibited items on a plane.
Many complain that TSA repeatedly flags their private parts for a patdown.
“I have gone through TSA five times and EVERY single time a red square appears over my ‘sensitive area’ and I get a thorough ‘pat-down,’” a Redditor complained in 2023.
One person responded that it could be sweat or baggy clothing.
“If I’m sweaty, I’m getting a pat down,” they wrote. “The machine triggers on sweat, especially in the lower back and private areas.” They advised people to wear fitted clothing, including underwear.
“When you get in the machine, pull your pants as high up as you can,” they added. “Sagging pants makes a shadow or something, and it guarantees a pat down.”
A person on Quora also opined that moisture sets off the scanners.
Does A Big Chest Guarantee A Pat Down?
But what about atypical body types? Are they also prone to get additional screening?
People who commented on Kulusic’s shared similar experiences at the airport.
“Wait…it’s not my weird energy…it’s just my cheeks?!” wrote one.
Said another, “My hair is so long they always grab it and toss it around.”
After claims that people with larger behinds get flagged for a patdown went viral last year, TSA actually weighed in on the matter.
A TSA representative told Travel Noire, “TSA’s on-person screening technology effectively screens diverse populations of travelers every day. During development, TSA on-person screening algorithms were trained to recognize body composition.”
You have limited options if you get chosen for a patdown. You can ask to have it done privately. If the standard patdown is inconclusive, they may require a more invasive one. The American Civil Liberties Union reports that you can take a witness with you or ask for TSA to provide one.
Kulusic did not respond to an Instagram direct message from BroBible.
Content shared from brobible.com.