Public Relations Princess

TSA & Airlines Discriminate Against Girls With Curly Hair

Preparing for a recent trip to Washington D.C., I made my first-ever attempt to board a plane without checking my bag. I went to Target and spent a fortune on those special little 3 ounce bottles and travel-size beauty products.

When I got to the TSA security gauntlet in Des Moines, a very official TSA agent pulled me out of the line for a "special" screening. Then I was delivered some bad news. "You're only allowed a sandwich bag size bag of liquids," Mr. Screener infomed me. "You have more than twice the amount that is allowed. You are going to have to check your bag."

Not only was this going to make me potentially late in boarding my plane, but the TSA was essentially forcing me to pay a $25 bag fee. I think they must make a special commission on curly-haired girls like me. Here's the secret memo:

To: All TSA gate screening agents

From: The Money Grubbing Airlines

We have noticed that women with curly hair rarely can get through security with the regulation sandwich bag full of toiletries. Snag any of these violators and we will go half-sies with you on the bag fee that they'll have to pay for violating our arbitrary rules.

Secretary Napolitano can't understand why all these frilly chicks are bitching about the regs. Why can't they just use soap and a washcloth like the rest of us? 

So here's what I tried to bring through security:

1. Shampoo
2. Conditioner
3. 2 bottles of hair gel
4. Toothpaste
5. Facewash stuff
6. Facescrub stuff
7. Lotion
8. Babyoil (makeup remover)
9. Bodywash 

As you might surmise, this lack of product for my curly hair would be a disaster. So, instead of throwing my newly-purchased, carefully filled bottles away, Mr. TSA agent perp-walked me over to the exit lane (after my gloved groping by someone who actually turns out to be a Facebook friend) and I was forced to return to the check-in line at Delta, now filled by last-minute slackers.  

So I can only imagine how much money is being made from curly-haired girls like me. How could I possibly survive with this teeny little bag of toiletries? I mean, come on. This is ridiculous.

By the way, TSA, you're sending mixed messages to the public. Here is the picture on your website that says what the bag should look like. The bag pictured clearly contains more than three containers. That is what I looked at before packing. So get your story straight, and stop embarrassing your well-intentioned passengers.  

i_Blog Conference at the Hotel Pattee in Perry, Iowa

This weekend, I was invited to kick off the first i_Blog conference at the beautiful Hotel Pattee with a talk on the subject of using Twitter to draw attention to a blog.

Pretty standard stuff for a social media consultant like me. I was a last minute sub so I didn't get to do my usual pre-conference polling of attendees to see what their learning needs were. Didn't get to see a list of what companies or walks of life they came from.

Now, I'm so glad I didn't. I remembered the best thing about social media is listening and learning from those around you. Listening to questions and comments from the audience guided me to the next thing I needed to say. So thanks, i_Blog conference attendees, for allowing me to be a small part of your day. I enjoyed meeting each of you. And congratulations to Jody Halsted of "Have Kids Will Travel" for putting on the conference and being such a gracious host.

The photograph here is of a book about the Hotel Pattee in Perry that was given to each of us by hotel general manager Todd Bordenaro. The rich photographs and text draw you into the history of the place and make you want to live there! It is without a doubt one of the coolest places in Iowa and a great place to hold a quiet and productive corporate retreat, a board retreat for a non-profit or business, hold a fundraiser or a special event. Call Todd Bordenaro at the Hotel and make an appointment for a tour of this wonderful gem in the heart of Iowa.