I won't speak to the cleavage issue but I wonder if you actually SAW the young man, Arijit Guha, who had posted his photograph of the T-shirt in question. It is definitely not allowed and would not have been allowed any time since the 1970s, as it's a clear violation of not joking around about security. The word "BOMB" is prominent on the shirt, and while I would not have complained about it, I don't blame the passengers or the TSA or frankly anybody else who felt threatened. Guha clearly wished to make a political statement that he could not have made if he had NOT been detained, searched, and held back from his flight. In fact, he stated in his diary that he had already worn the shirt several other times, and no one noticed, and you pick up on his distinct disappointment. In this case, we have someone seeking publicity for a political viewpoint, using T-shirt humor. Like it or not, humor is not allowed at the security check, as the posted FBI warnings have informed us for DECADES.

I don't know if Guha's page is still online but if it is, and you see the shirt in question...it puts a way different spin on the story. Which is why, I think, this news article instead posted a fat lady's rack and tried to pretend that the issue is aesthetics. We all agree that the TSA and the airlines should not be the fashion police but some "fashion" actually makes a statement, and like it or not, the airport is not a Free Speech Zone. As a practical matter, when traveling, I always advise people to keep their politics to themselves unless they're willing to bear the costs of social protest. To pretend that social protest has no cost (or should have no cost) cheapens it...