Austin woman visits Mexico City. Then an airline worker ‘jestermaxxes’ and causes her to nearly miss her flight: ‘ I had to pay them over 1,000 pesos’
There are a lot of things that can go wrong at the airport. But once one has made it through security, they usually think they’re in the clear.
As one TikTok user learned, this isn’t always the case. In a video with over 13,000 views, TikToker Greta Devereux (@greta.div) shows herself looking flustered on a flight. According to her, she’s on a plane from Mexico back home to Texas.
“When I was about to get on the plane, they asked for my documentation,” she recalls. “My passport didn’t have a stamp.”
Devereux says the lack of a stamp was unremarkable. According to her, she hasn’t had her passport stamped “for the past couple years when I’ve been traveling.”
This time, however, the missing stamp was an issue. Devereux states that she had to “sprint to exit security, go to this sketchy immigration office, and pay them over a thousand pesos to get a form because my passport wasn’t stamped.” For context, 1,000 Mexican pesos equal about $58 USD.
Why Was This Woman Almost Stuck in Mexico?
According to Devereux, the problem occurred when she first landed. She claims the immigration officer who checked her in did not stamp her passport. Instead, she says he spent his time “jestermaxxing.”
“He was flirting with me the entire time,” she says. “He asked for my phone number, he asked to give me recommendations for all around the city, and was telling me to ‘have so much fun.’ Forgot to stamp my passport.”
Devereux eventually made it out of the country. That said, she states the experience gave her “the most stressful 15 minutes of my life.”
What Is Jestermaxxing?
Some watching this video may see the word “jestermaxxing” in the video’s overlay text and become hit by a wave of confusion.
For those who aren’t aware, “jestermaxxing” is a term created by the incel community. The definition seems to vary based on who one asks. According to Know Your Meme, “jestermaxxing” is when someone tries too hard to be funny or entertaining to gain attention. This is often to make up for perceived flaws like looks or money. Typically, this is perceived in the incel community as foolish—hence the use of the word “jester.”
Alternatively, some define “jestermaxxing” as simply attempting to be funny in order to try to elicit attention from women.
The term has come to prominence recently thanks to viral posts mentioning the term, as well as videos from the Kick streamer Clavicular, per VICE.
What Should You Do If You’re Missing A Passport Stamp?
No matter whether you miss a passport stamp because your border patrol agent is jestermaxxing, or whether they simply forgot, there are a few things you should do if you find yourself crossing a border without a stamp.
First, it should be noted that numerous countries no longer stamp passports. Most of the European Union is phasing them out, and countries like Australia, Singapore, and Argentina haven’t had passport stamps for some time. In short, if you’re traveling to a new country and notice you don’t have a passport stamp, it’s not always a cause for concern.
Next, if you realize that the border agent didn’t stamp your passport while still at passport control, there’s no harm in simply asking them to stamp it.
However, if you don’t realize that they didn’t stamp your passport until after you’ve made it through passport control, there are a few steps you can take. To start, you can reach out to the local immigration authorities, either via phone call or email. They may ask for evidence of your travel, and from there, they can confirm your entry into the country and provide guidance about the next steps.
If your situation is a bit more complicated—for example, you’re missing a passport stamp and you’ve overstayed your legal time in the country—you might want to reach out to your country’s embassy.
Commenters Say They’ve Missed Passport Stamps
In the comments section, users said that missing passport stamps were more common than one might think.
“I almost got stuck in Prague because Frankfurt custom’s stamp was low ink,” said a commenter. “I had to jester max by telling the Prague customs lady it was my first time in a suggestive manner.”
“It’s weird sometimes I get a stamp sometimes I don’t,” offered another. “I don’t get it lol.”
Others simply said that getting stuck in Mexico didn’t sound so bad.
“Honestly? If the price of being stuck is forced proximity to world-class tacos and churros, I think I’d just lose my passport on purpose,” joked a commenter.
@greta.div ♬ original sound – Greta
The Mary Sue reached out to Devereux via email and Instagram direct message.
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