• News
    • Tech News
    • AI
  • Gadgets
    • Apple
    • iPhone
  • Gaming
    • Playstation
    • Xbox
  • Science
    • News
    • Space
  • Streaming
    • Netflix
  • Vehicles
    • Car News
  • Social Media
    • WhatsApp
    • YouTube
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
TikTok
Snapchat
WhatsApp
Submit Your Content
Woman baffled after her crotch gets her stopped at airport security as she takes first flight in 15 years

Home> Vehicles> Plane news

Published 11:15 8 Jul 2025 GMT+1

Woman baffled after her crotch gets her stopped at airport security as she takes first flight in 15 years

An embarrassing situation for everyone involved

Tom Chapman

Tom Chapman

Let's be honest, going to the airport isn't exactly fun.

From those early starts to ensuring the taxi is there on time, the endless queues, and making sure you've remembered your passport, that's before you even get through security.

Airport security is a lot more stringent these days, and while some people complain about the invasiveness of what scanners can see, they're there to keep us safe before we get on the plane.

We've already covered why you should never put a padlock on a suitcase, why you shouldn't wear certain shoes, or why walking through a scanner with an erection might be a bad idea, but now, there's another embarrassing PSA.

Advert

Apparently, it's not just men's crotches that can lead to them being flagged at airport security, with women also able to set off scanners and being left red-faced.

A natural reason could be behind the incident (Jupiterimages / Getty)
A natural reason could be behind the incident (Jupiterimages / Getty)

Posting on the r/TSA subreddit, one woman claimed she was stopped during her first flight in 15 years.

The OP wrote: "I flew for the first time in 15 years this week and both airports flagged my crotch at the arms up scanner.

Advert

"I don't care about the pat down, they were polite and professional and it doesn't bother me, but I'm wondering what did it."

Seemingly more intrigued by what happened than embarrassed, she wanted to know the mysterious cause of her scanner snafu.

Someone responded saying: "Last time I flew out of my home airport of Tampa, I got searched too, the guard said something unnerving like 'swamp rot' or 'swamp crotch' or something similarly embarrassing."

Suggesting what could be behind the flag, one person said: "Sweat, feminine products (liners, pads, depends) could be anything but those seem to be culprits and the leggings n bike shorts for some reason I have no idea otherwise maybe the compression in them."

Advert


Another said similar when they added: "In my experience: compression shorts, pads, diapers, moist/wetness, one piece suits are 85% of the flags I receive…. 12% is false alarms and 3% someone deliberately hiding something."

It really does seem that sweat could be the reason behind the woman being stopped.

Advert

Speaking to Reader's Digest, airport security expert Shawna Malvini Redden explained: "Perspiration is probably the weirdest thing that can set off the scanners. It has to do with millimeter wave technology and how the waves bounce off water."

Redden is the author of 101 Pat-Downs: An Undercover Look at Airport Security and the TSA, saying the issue is so common that airports in the likes of France and Germany have stopped using specific scanners because sweat in the crotch area is known for setting them off as false alarms.

In reality, there are any number of unexpected things that can set off an airport scanner. From obvious things like piercings and wire in your undergarments to more obscure reasons like thick hair and even tumors, it's amazing we get through these scanners at all.

Well, at least we know they're working.

Featured Image Credit: M Stock / Getty
Plane News
Travel

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

a day ago
8 days ago
9 days ago
10 days ago
  • a day ago

    Elon Musk once 'splashed' $1,000,000 on iconic movie car he say's inspired Cybertruck's design

    The billionaire was stirred but not shaken by the vehicle

    Vehicles
  • 8 days ago

    Elon Musk's Tesla Diner makes drastic changes just weeks after opening following 'miserable' reviews

    Out of the frying pan and into the deep-fat fryer

    Vehicles
  • 9 days ago

    Influencer trapped in one of the most remote places on Earth faces brutal fine as legal fate is revealed

    Landing in the cold left him in hot water with authorities

    Vehicles
  • 10 days ago

    Pilot claims he's found location of Amelia Earhart's plane as he shares stunning Google Earth images

    The wreckage has been lost for nearly 90 years

    Vehicles
  • Airport security expert reveals reason you should never use a padlock on your suitcase
  • Man had his lifetime first class ticket removed mid-flight after he cost the airline $21,000,000
  • How the first flight around the world took 175 days and covered over around 27,550 miles
  • Woman who survived plane crash that killed 151 people describes first thing she heard when she woke up