Woman Goes Through Airport Security. The Scanners Went Off Over Something Unexpected: ‘We Got a Red Hot Warning’

There’s always a fuss around airport security scanners as people rush to take their jackets and belts off to avoid false alarms. Internet celebrity Lindsey Gurk did exactly that, but the scanners still went off when she went through. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was alerted, but what triggered the alarms wasn’t anything anyone expected.

Gurk said when she went through airport security, the scanner alerted authorities. She was asked to step aside for a search.

“That’s interesting. It must be my necklace or something,” Gurk recalled. Scanners can often detect jewelry due to its composition of precious metals. With large, chunky jewelry on trend, even pieces made of precious metals like silver and gold might cause a false alarm here and there.

But then, Gurk turned around to check the monitor. She drew a picture of what she saw on TikTok. It was a human figure with a red and yellow warning on the crotch area.

“That’s what I saw. We got a yellow warning and we got a red hot warning, both in the crotch area!” she recalled. She didn’t trigger just one, but two warnings. The scanner has flagged two anomalies on Gurk. Does that mean Gurk was hiding a bomb or illicit substance below her belt?

“I’m thinking, do I have a necklace down there?” Even Gurk was confused. Clearly, the woman wasn’t trying to smuggle some strange thing under the watchful eye of the TSA. But then, she realized that she was on her second day of period.

Now, TSA knows she’s on her period

“Oh no, I have a diaper on. I’m on day two of my period,” she said, claiming that it was her only option for her second day. But Gurk wasn’t treated any less of a threat by my security, so she was warned before the frisking began.

“Anything I should know? Any explosives? Any dangerous items?” The TSA officer asked. But the only explosive revelation in this story is that periods can trigger airport security scanners. Nevertheless, Gurk disclosed she had her period to the officer. They frisked her anyway in public.

When the officer was finished, she left with a chuckle. To that, Gurk remarked that perhaps the frisk search wasn’t so “normal” after all. But it’s not everyday that periods trigger security alarms. The officer, much like the internet, was shocked by the possibility. Gurk’s experience goes to show that being a woman is hard—she couldn’t even pass through security without being frisked all because of her period panties.

One TikTok commenter joked, “My iron levels are so good, my period got flagged at security.”

Someone else shuddered, “New fear unlocked.”

But those with anemia rejoiced, with one commenter saying, “My iron levels are so shit that I don’t need to worry about this.” Perhaps this is the one benefit of not having anemia.

Can periods trigger false alarms at the airport?

Simply put, full-body scanners and metal detectors couldn’t detect the period itself. However, the devices can detect the period products worn by the person. Some period panties use silver threads as an antimicrobial. But scanners can also detect bulk, which is why regular sanitary napkins could also alert the system for an inspection.

It seems that Gurk’s experience isn’t isolated and that this isn’t just some storytime skit. Others who’ve had the exact same thing happen to them shared their experiences. A commenter wrote, “I got flagged in the same area. The lady asked if I wanted to go in a private room. I said, ‘No, ma’am, I want witnesses.'”

Another user said, “My IUD sets it off. Every. Time.” Not all IUDs are made of plastic—some are made of copper.

As silly as Gurk’s story is, hopefully, tech rapidly improves so that it stops alarming security over something as natural as periods.

(featured images: Mikhail Nilov, Lindsey Gurk, Polina Zimmerman)

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