A TikTok user felt violated and expressed her outrage by posting a video on Friday in which she claimed that while she was traveling, a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent stopped her and searched her vagina because she was wearing a menstrual pad.
TikTok user @rhivnnnon posted a video with the caption reading, "And they thought it'd be ok to check that area in public?? Certainly not. F**k this s**t..." In just 23 hours, the video has received over 14,000 views and 2,000 likes.
According to The Daily Dot, the video appears to be filmed in a hotel or airport lobby where she uses the TikTok digital voiceover to say: "TSA checked my vag bc I have a pad on... I'm already v emotional and now I feel extremely violated. And to act like you don't believe me is disturbing. What's the point of the goddamn body scanners????" It is not clear in which airport this alleged incident took place.
Video creator @rhivnnnon followed up with details of the encounter in the comment section.
"I did some digging and unfortunately many women go through this," @rhivnnnon wrote. "After taking me to the room, I had to put my hands up and [the TSA agent] ran her hands across the area a few times, then they used this wand thing on both of our hands and I was cleared," reported The Daily Dot.
Pat-Downs Maybe Privacy-Infringing as They Include Inspection of Breasts, Groin, and the Buttocks
According to the TSA, one of many security measures, pat-down procedures are used to determine if prohibited items or other threats to transportation security are concealed on the person.
On their website, the TSA says that their process of security screening keeps on changing and evolving, according to the kind of threats that present themselves as years go by. "TSA adjusts processes and procedures to meet the evolving threat and to achieve the highest levels of transportation security. Because of this, you may notice changes in our procedures from time to time," the website says.
The website adds: "A pat-down may include inspection of the head, neck, arms, torso, legs, and feet. This includes head coverings and sensitive areas such as breasts, groin, and the buttocks."
The Traveling Public Hates TSA Pat-Downs
A 2019 report from the US Government Accountability Office found hundreds of complaints about pat-downs were filed by passengers between 2015-2019. They are seen as highly intrusive and privacy-infringing.
Tammy Waitt, who writes for American Security Today says, "As a former TSA Federal Security Director, I can attest to the fact that pat downs – which are required if a passenger cannot be screened with a body scanner – are the most unpopular aspect of aviation security for passengers – and TSA staff." He further says that the TSA pat-downs are inherently unsafe in the Covid-19 era.
