Put yourself in 37 year old Mandy Hamlin‘s position. What would you do if you were told that you had to remove your nipple ring before you boarded a flight…oh and it’s stuck and you need to do it with a pliers. Wait….what! Are you kidding me?
Apparently Mandy Hamlin had already passed through the large metal detector without incident. It was when the TSA officer used a hand wand on the woman that all Hell broke loose. Hamlin was candid with the officer and indicated that she had two body piercings on her breasts.
The TSA employee instructed Hamlin to step behind a screen and remove the offending hardware. Poor, poor Mandy. She removed one piece of nipple jewelry without incident but soon discovered that the ring in her other nipple was stuck but good.
The resourceful TSA officer offered up a pair of pliers to facilitate the removal. Keep in mind, Hamlin’s skin had grown over the nipple ring, effectively making it part of her. But pull she did, with the proffered pliars and finally managed to yank it from her nipple.
Can you say OUCH! and perhaps other expletives as well. The Texas woman has had some time to think about her ordeal and has decided that an apology is in order from the folks at the U.S. Transportation Security Administration.
A statement from the agency said the incident was being investigated.
“Our security officers are well trained to screen individuals with body piercings in sensitive areas,” the statement said.
The moral of the story? We’re still pondering that.