Everyone wants to look good in their ID card picture. However, one California woman warns that taking ID glam too far can lead to issues with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
In a video with over 178,000 views, TikToker Davis Roe (@divaaadavisss) sits at her departure gate in the airport. She wears a bright yellow hoodie with her hair in a low up-do.
“Every time I go through TSA, I get absolutely f—— humiliated,” she says, sounding defeated. “The first few times it was funny, and now it’s just humbling.”
Roe explains that she has a “snatched” ID photo. Before taking her ID photo, she made sure she was tan and super blonde with makeup to bring out her features.
“I’m basically f—— glowing and levitating off of my ID,” she jokes.
Despite posting the photo on her Instagram with the caption, “Ur a cop who pulled me over… wyd,” she says TSA isn’t as impressed.
Will TSA Stop You If Your ID Photo Looks Nothing Like You?
Roe says the TSA agent tried to scan her ID card five times, but it wouldn’t recognize the photo as hers.
“It’s not recognizing me. It says it needs a new photo,” she recounts. She says the agent called a co-worker over to help her scan the ID and adequately identify Roe before letting her through security.
Roe says she was shocked and humbled by what the second agent said next.
“The guy looks at my ID, looks at me, and he’s like, ‘I think it’s you. You’re just obviously way less blonde and way more pale,'” she says. “Wow, you really know how to win over a lady.”
After several similar experiences, Roe warns other travelers not to take ID photo glam as seriously, despite “ID makeup” trending on TikTok.
“As much as you want your baddie driver’s license photo, just remember when you’re at the airport, and you’re a hungover piece of s—, it’s going to tell you you’re not you,” she suggests. “Moral of the story, Davis Roe is f—— chopped in person.”
Has This Happened To Other Travelers?
In the comments, other travelers share the out-of-pocket responses they’ve received from security workers looking at their ID photos.
“The Clear rep at the airport saw me and smiled so big and goes ‘oh! You look so mean in your photo but then in real life you’re so nice’ oh,” one shared.
Another wrote, “They used my permit pic for my license, and a bouncer did a double take at it and said I look like a serial killer, it’s so bad.”
“I’ve had to be questioned before bc I came to the airport one time so puffy bc it was so early, and the TSA scanner didn’t think it was my face,” a third said.
Others suggested declining to have a photo taken to compare to the ID at TSA. According to the TSA’s website, travelers have the right to refuse to have their picture taken. Instead, an agent will simply scan their ID and visually verify that it’s the right passenger.
“Photo scans are optional. Tell them you don’t want one, and they’ll just scan your ID,” a commenter wrote.
A second suggested, “I wish they posted signs at every airport TSA informing people that they don’t have to consent to the photo—recently I noticed they did at Kansas City International, but they didn’t at LaGuardia. Just say, ‘no thank you I don’t want to get my photo taken.'”
BroBible reached out to Roe and the TSA via email for further comment.