PSA: Stop Being Hot In Your Passport Photo, Or It Might Hold You Back At Airport Security

I took my passport photo back in 2018 when I was a baby-faced 21-year-old. I’m now 27, I get my lashes done regularly, and I like to think I have a more mature look to my face (AKA I learned how to contour). But this means whenever I travel, I can see the TSA officers do a double take when they see me vs. my passport photo — and that’s when I don’t even have my makeup on because, let’s be real, who wears makeup to the airport? So when I read that some people who had super hot passport photos were having trouble passing through TSA (because most people show up for their flights looking like trolls), I totally understood.

Do you remember a few years back when the “TikTok passport photo makeup” trend was going around? People were basically getting super glammed up to take their passport photos — and everyone was doing it. Seriously, even Kim Kardashian decided to kind of join in on the trend when she brought a whole glam team to take her driver’s license photo. Well, apparently, the makeup should’ve come with a disclaimer because since then, people on TikTok have made videos of how they were stopped at TSA because they looked absolutely nothing like their full-glammed versions of themselves. Some were even stopped from flying or just slowed down TSA lines for everyone else.

TikTok’s Passport Photo Makeup Trend Is Not TSA-Approved

Image Credit: Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko via Pexels

“This is why you should never do hot photos for your passport,” influencer Alisha Marie warned in a viral TikTok. She described the situations as “humbling,” but I get it — no one really goes to the airport looking hot. I personally like to go with the sweatpants, messy bun, crocs combo. Oh, and my face? It usually looks tired because I’m typically catching super early flights.

You might be thinking, “Okay, but how many people are actually having issues with TSA because of their ‘hot’ passport photos?” Well, enough for The Washington Post to cover this phenomenon. Seriously, they even reported that the State Department was concerned about these issues. So basically, your hot passport photos are becoming an issue of national security. Who would’ve thought?

If you’ve already got your passport photo taken and have about a decade left to it, you might have to start making a full-glam as part of your airport look (I know, my skin is screaming just thinking about it). But if you’re one of the people whose passport renewal is coming up soon, I’d put down the mascara and leave the concealer behind. Sure, you might not have a passport photo that you love for a decade, but hey — at least you’ll move through TSA a little bit faster. It’s okay we know you’re hot, but TSA doesn’t need to.