Are Certain Body Types More Likely To Set Off TSA's Body Scanner? Here's What We Know

Every time you walk through one of those airport security body scanners, you're pulled aside for enhanced screening. You're never carrying anything in your pockets, and you always take off your outerwear, just as the TSA officers ask you to. So what gives? According to one viral TikTok, your body type might be the reason you keep getting flagged.

In a video, influencer @alysecarolyn revealed that travelers with voluptuous backsides might set off security alarms more often than their slimmer peers. "My husband is a TSA agent and he just told me that people with blessed posteriors set off the [body scanner] more often than not," she explained. Some curvy commenters chimed in to share their own accounts of being selected for additional airport screening, suggesting there could be some truth to the claim.

However, TSA attempted to shut down the rumor in a statement to the New York Post. "TSA cannot verify the authenticity of claims made on TikTok without more context about the time and place where security screening occurred," a representative shared. "However [...] I can verify that TSA's on-person screening technology effectively screens diverse populations of travelers every day. During development, TSA on-person screening algorithms were trained to recognize body composition."

TSA's body scanners may screen all kinds of body types, but that doesn't mean they see all shapes and sizes the same way. According to a 2014 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, larger-bodied travelers may have a harder time getting through airport security without being flagged. The report states that "the false alarm rate for passengers with a normal BMI [body mass index] was less than the false alarm rates for overweight and obese passengers." In other words, those who are thought to have more body fat tend to trigger the body scanner alarms more often than travelers who weigh less.

TSA machines may also go off if a passenger has an unexpected bulge or bump protruding from their body. This may include prosthetics and other external medical devices. In some instances, body scanners have even been known to detect cysts, hernias, and other bumps and knots on the skin.

With all this in mind, the TikTok theory may hold water. Travelers with larger-than-average derrières may be more likely to set off TSA alarms than slimmer, less curvy travelers. This could be related to their body mass index, the shape of their figure, or both. If you often fall into this group, give yourself a little extra time to get through security, or consider applying for TSA PreCheck to avoid the hassle.