Nancy Kates’s large underwire bra set off the metal detector in the Oakland, California airport. A TSA agent pulled her aside and patted her down, which set off Kates’ personal privacy alarm. “I said, ‘You can’t do that.’ She said, ‘We have to pat you down.’ I said, ‘You can’t treat me as a criminal for wearing a bra.'” Kates was given the option to “submit to a pat-down in a private room” or not fly. Instead, she took off her bra and passed through security just fine. Hooray for personal freedom!

Try to read the first sentence below and not turn “wanded” into a euphemism, we dare ya.

Kates said that although she flies about once a month, the only other time her bra has set off alarms in an airport was while she was being “wanded” in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. When she explained to the security agent that the wand was picking up the metal in her bra, she said, that was the end of the matter and she was allowed to go on her way.

The TSA says they have to check for bombs:

TSA spokesman Nico Melendez said Monday that he wasn’t familiar with the incident. But he said in all circumstances, “we have to resolve an alarm.”

That’s the case for bras, artificial hips or anything with metal that sets off an alarm, he said. “Unfortunately, we can’t take a passenger’s word for it.”

If you’re a large-breasted woman, when you reach the TSA checkpoint you might want to yank your bra off and toss it in a tray. Not because TSA is demanding it, but because we’d just love to see that start happening a lot.

“Delayed by her bra, air passenger is indignant” [SFGate] (Thanks to Scott!)
(Photo: Getty)

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