AIBU at airport security asking me to remove cardigan

[Saavhi]

Yesterday I went through security at Stanstead and was asked by a staff member to take off my cardigan in order for him to check me. I have never been asked this or seen anyone have to remove an item of clothing. I was wearing a very strappy form-fitting top with a cardigan on top. I felt extremely exposed when stood there as my tits/side boob were basically on show (had used top buttons for modesty). I'm not sure why this was necessary as I had not set off the machine and in no way could it look like I was concealing anything.

I have disproportionately large breasts which I have always been very self-conscious of so I accept that I may have been oversensitive. AIBU to think it was odd? I wasn't pat down or anything!

Stansted is the strictest airport I fly from security wise, pretty closely matched with Luton. They significantly raise their levels at intermittent times, (they'll sometimes swab every passengers feet etc), in my experience. Heathrow and gatwick are nothing like it.

I am so sorry for how this experience made you feel. I travel a fair bit and there seems to be different rules in different airports even in the same country. Hate the exposure, the bare feet , the list is endless.

So I have a travel uniform of leggings, top that covers my bum, skechers that slip on and socks and simple hoop earrings and wedding ring. Scarf and hoodie in backpack.

Love to dress up love jewellery but hate to get undressed and dressed in public.

It is for our safety so have to adjust but don't deny that it is frustrating or embarrassing.

Yes Bagshot - "a sign of the times". Not only muslim fanatics but numerous exponents of distorted political and religious beliefs have won. They have so fouled up air travel, to the extent it is no longer pleasurable, but an ordeal to be avoided if possible, but most air travellers have to tolerate inconvenience as described by Saahvi the initial poster here..

Don't they always ask you to remove cardigans. I always have to remove mine if wearing one

Don’t clean your shoes before you set of to the airport
Unless you are entering Australia, apparently. Some Australian walkers I met on a hiking holiday recently had to clean their boots scrupulously to remove all traces of mud. Maybe not polish though.

I have been asked to remove a cardigan in the past so I always do it now and put it in the tray. I was also swabbed at Stansted (might have mentioned this upthread) and female officer ran her fingers around the waistband of my trousers. They are just doing their job, I dress appropriately for air travel as I would for any other activity.

In this world of terroisim , we have to accept that security are just doing their job Im afraid. My daughter who was 15 at the time had to remove her belt and shoes .And my cousin and I were picked out of a line on a ferry to have our bags searched ,(2 middle aged ladies!).Better to have all these checks in place for our own security I feel!

For the last time she didn;t wear a top that exposed her boobs. She wore a thin, form fitting fully button up cardigan that exposed nothing. Underneath that she wore a cami. I treat cami tops as underwear, to be used to prevent exposed cleavage.

It's common practice. When I went to Frankfurt I had to remove my shoes and they did a whole body rub down 😳

I think you are over thinking it!

For the conspiracy theorists and troll hunters, bear in mind it's common to change the details of a story to cut down the chance of someone IRL recognising you. It may make the story inconsistent but doesn't change the essential details.

Anyone wanting to know about airport security can go on airport websites and read about things which are banned. Then can book a few flights and try things out for themselves. Heck, they could find someone with a clean record and get them to work in an airport for a bit. All of these things are much better, more reliable ways of gleaning information than starting a thread on Mumsnet.

They have so fouled up air travel, to the extent it is no longer pleasurable, but an ordeal to be avoided if possible

Given that air travel is bad for the environment they might inadvertently have done us a favour.

For the last time she didn;t wear a top that exposed her boobs.

The OP *literally says this: “I felt extremely exposed when stood there as my tits/side boob were basically on show”

So it sounds like the cami top was ill fitting and the OP felt exposed. Could have been avoided by a properly fitting vest top over a bra.

Why should she spend money on a better vest top? I wear a cami top as a vest to prevent cleavage exposure. No way am I spending money buying a decent one when I only wear it for the tiny bit of material covering my cleavage, and always have a top over the top of it.

The cami top was not ill fitting, it was an item of underwear. You even but them from the underwear department. I don't wear cami tops under my tops unless they are low cut or lacy (I itch if I wear lacy tops and blouses next to my skin) so I'd have just been wearing a bra underneath.

The staff at Stansted love exercising their insect authority and there is no point making a fuss or they will just take longer and be more finicky. I've lost count of the number of times they've given me a good rub down for no reason at all. That said, I have also lost count of the number of imbeciles who can't get their liquids right and hold everybody up.

You always have to remove jackets. I take mine off in the queue. It's up to you to wear appropriate clothing.

OP was not wearing a jacket.

The OP has disappeared anyway, leaving us arguing about a top that none of us has seen or are ever likely to see.

Why should she spend money on a better vest top?

Er - so her “tits and side boobs” aren’t “exposed”?

The cami top was not ill fitting, it was an item of underwear. You even but them from the underwear department.

It sounds ill fitting to me if it’s exposing her. By the way, there are lots of different types of cami tops; some are underwear, some are tops to be worn over a bra. Many are listed alongside tops and t shirts.

I've been asked to remove a cardigan / jacket before
It's annoying and we often joke that perhaps we should just go through naked but you just get on with it and don't overthink

God you'd never believe this country once stood up to Nazi's the way so many on this site are telling us to 'shut up & follow the rules'. We as a population can insist on systems that properly protect everyone without having to strip half naked at an airport. What next? I'm shouting in the wind here but what the hell happened to us????!!!

My Ds 11 was swabbed for explosives . Machine goes off randomly and whoever it is gets checked . So he is reassured that they are taking security seriously.

I think you need to apply the same logic

By the way, there are lots of different types of cami tops; some are underwear

Yes, and hers was underwear so she felt exposed wearing it. Jesus.

Very common. They ask everyone to remove jackets and I think cardigans can class as a jacket of kinds (usually have pockets).

Cardigans do not usually have pockets, some do, many don’t. A fully button up cardigan is really just a knitted blouse.

I have disproportionately large breasts

This is probably why though. He might have wanted to check visually that they were breasts, and not a big bra filled with smuggeling stuff.