wsucougarchick05

Okay, so I wear underwire bras.

Problem...all mine seem to set off the WTMD, therefore giving me the lovely pat-down inspection.

I really don't want to have to go buy a non-underwire bra, because...well, honestly the only time I'd use it is when I travel. I don't want to always wear my sports bra, but I can if I have to...

Anyone have any other suggestions?

Emeraldcity

Do you fly out of a small airport?? Every small (or smallish) airport I fly out of my underwires set off the alarms.......every freaking time......
I find that in the larger airports, Seatac, LAX, DEN, SAN, etc., nothing happens, just in the smaller ones. I always get that wonderful secondary and when I say it is the underwires in my bra, they always say no it isn't until they run the wand over me...........every freaking time.........

wsucougarchick05

It happened in April at PDX and a few days ago at BOS.

The gal in BOS was much nicer than the one at PDX...she made the comment, "Well, if it's setting off the detector, it must be a good bra!"

Even with that humor in mind, it's still a pain in the arse.

When will some brilliant woman come up with a great, supportive underwire that won't set off the WTMD's?

Mary2e

I have always worn underwires and have never ever set off the WTMD.

For the last 5 or 6 years I've been buying Wacoals, and before that, Maidenforms.

missydarlin

ditto. I buy Chantelle for regular bras and Lunaire for sports bras.

lili

Whatever I buy at Costco seems to have molded plastic under"wires" and it doesn't set off the alarm. (I removed one once and was surprised it wasn't wire. Maidenform, I think.)

On secondary I once had an unpleasant woman saying "Okay, my wand WILL alarm on your bra at 3 points: back clasp, right and left strap adjustments." Then she proceeded to tap those three areas. Then she said I will now wand you. And proceeded to tap those three areas. Duh.

I think this was just a distraction while her male companion rifled through my carryon without me being able to observe what he was doing.

For traveling you might take an old bra and make a small cut at the end of the underwire and slide it out. I have a friend who does this to all her bras because she refuses to wear underwires and 99% of all bras are underwires. Saves her time trying to find one without underwires.

wsucougarchick05

I never did either until I went to SEA in April.

I'll have to remember Maidenform, though. I usually go to Nordstrom or Lane Bryant.

Mary2e

FWIW - maybe I'm just lucky, but I seem to remember going jewelry shopping and buying a very heavy charm and chain. Rather than put it in my purse, I wore it home along with the necklace (& charm) I wore down. I thought for sure I'd set off the WTMD and didn't.

Combined that with earings, any metal in my bra, my watch, and the other assorted metal that's normally on our bodies, I should have lit up that machine like a Christmas tree.

I think you'll be fine with Maidenform. I took the "wire" out of one of them, and it's not a wire

Emeraldcity

I buy at Nordstrom or Lane Bryant as well, and I use Wacoal mostly.
Of course I haven't flown out of PDX or BOS, they must be set rather sensatively....... LOL But I do set off those damn things. I even make sure that I am not wearing a watch or any other jewelry at the time I go through so I know if something is setting it off, it is the bra...... sigh....... damn the metal underwires.

Of course I can't use plastic underwires as they snap for no apparent reason, and yes I am fitted correctly. I guess that is what comes of having heavy headlights....... LOL LOL

lili

Gold doesn't set off the alarm. Small amounts of silver jewelry are okay also, but I do have a very heavy silver bracelet that alarms. My watch has a leather band and I never remove it either. I've been asked to remove bracelets and watch but I just refuse. One TSA expert even questioned whether my bracelet was "real gold" when I told her gold would not set off her alarm. It didn't.

Mary2e

Thanks.... I didn't know that about gold. I thought for sure I would set it off.

wsucougarchick05

The best thing is when I set it off in BOS, I told the 2 male screeners there, "It's either my bra or the metal rivets in my jeans," and they were like, "No, no. Go back through." (which I did a total of 3 times before I got the secondary).

I feel your pain with heavy headlights! But when it's girls night, you have a damn good bra, the right shirt and you go to a place with male strippers...well, let's just say that the stripper I got a few dances from took a peek once or twice.

lili

I was told it's because gold isn't magnetic and unlike silver doesn't have a lot of other alloys. Large gold-plated items probably alarm, but not 14-18k.

I thought everybody knew that, but recently someone in the disability forum posted about actually preferring secondary because she didn't want to remove valuable jewelry. I don't think diamonds alarm either.

Emeraldcity

I know, I always say the same thing. It is the damn underwire and every time......No, just go back through...... the last time I said I didn't want to go through again I just wanted the secondary because I was holding up the line because of my BOOBS!!! LOL LOL LOL

Jenbel

I once had the nasty experience of an underwire deciding to break through during a long haul flight - cue 8 hours of being jabbed in the boob by a bit of metal everytime I moved

Since then, I've kept a soft, non-underwired bra for which I only wear on long-haul flights. Short-haul, it doesn't matter so much -had the interesting experience of going through two different check points at one airport on the same day and my bra alarmed at one but not the other. OTOH, the UK searches are generally ok... it's the German ones you have to watch out for