TikTok user @rhivnnnon posted a video on Friday in which she claimed that while she was traveling, a Transportation Security Administration agent stopped her and searched her vagina because she was wearing a menstrual pad.
The video’s caption says, “And they thought it’d be ok to check that area in public?? Absolutely not. Fuck this shit…” The clip amassed over 14,000 views and 2,000 likes in 23 hours.
Even if travelers forget to ask, TSA agents are required to offer the option of a private screening if sensitive or private areas of the body must be touched during a pat-down.
In the video, which appears to be filmed in a hotel or airport lobby, @rhivnnnon uses the TikTok digital voiceover to proclaim, “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????”
This is not the first time TSA agents have been accused of patting down vaginas and being invasive with minimal cause.
Many of the 124 commenters expressed concern over the legality of the pat-down.
User @arieltrident asked, “Wtf that sounds sooo illegal… story time?”
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.”