‘Wipe It’: Woman Humiliated After Makeup Blocks Facial Scanner At Shanghai Airport

Last Updated:August 20, 2025, 14:37 IST

Shanghai airport’s facial recognition scanners failed to identify a woman, who was later told to remove her makeup for an exact match on the passport photo.

The incident is from a Shanghai airport in China. (Photo Source: Instagram)

In the most bizarre incident, a Chinese woman was forced to wipe off her makeup at a Shanghai airport after authorities observed a facial recognition failure. According to a report by the New York Post, as the facial recognition scanners failed to identify the woman, she was asked to remove the makeup she was carrying for an accurate match on her passport.

The humiliated passenger had to scrub off all her makeup in front of airport officials before she could be given a go-ahead signal. Originally posted on Chinese social media, the video of the woman was shared in India by a popular Instagram handle. In the clip, the embarrassed traveller is seen cleaning her face with wipes, while one of the airport workers scolds her from behind for the default.

Humiliated Traveller Forced To Scrub Makeup At Airport

“Wipe everything off until you look like your passport photo. Why would you do your makeup like that? You are asking for trouble,” the alleged employee demands, according to the New York Post report, forcing the woman to immediately take her makeup off so that she can be identified.

The infamous clip is from May, when this lady was caught on camera using wipes to scrub off all her makeup while carrying a look of great disgust and disappointment with the authorities, who strictly imposed the airport guidelines on her and tried to get an exact match of the passport photo.

How The Internet Reacted To The Incident

The infamous clip racked up thousands of views and a flood of mixed comments on the internet. While some sympathised with the woman, others criticised her for wearing excessive cosmetics, which the airport machinery didn’t approve of.

“She was already wiping her makeup off and was embarrassed enough. There was no need for you to keep going on like some naggy boomer,” said one user, slamming the airport worker scolding her in the video.

Someone else agreed, “Poor girl should not be laughed at. The guard hurt her feelings. Not nice and not funny.”

“This is cosplay. Not just regular makeup,” said a less sympathetic user.

“It’s not like she was able to walk around with a filter on in real life, right?” quipped another.

Whether the woman was eventually cleared through the security is not known. But the airport scanner certainly didn’t approve of her contouring, leading to dramatic scenes that could’ve easily been avoided.

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A team of writers at News18.com bring you stories on what’s creating the buzz on the Internet while exploring science, cricket, tech, gender, Bollywood, and culture.

A team of writers at News18.com bring you stories on what’s creating the buzz on the Internet while exploring science, cricket, tech, gender, Bollywood, and culture.

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