Supposedly, strippers are no longer the only target market for pasties — the stickers they use to cover their naughty bits. A new company called Flying Pasties claims its tasteful orange sticker sets will help the average air traveler reclaim her "right to privacy" by shielding her nipples and genitals from "intrusive full-body scanners while not interfering with airline security." Are Flying Pasties a legitimate solution? (Watch a promo for Flying Pasties)
Are the stickers intended just for women?
No. Flying Pasties offers adhesive stickers suitable for both sexes. The company's website notes that, while "we've found that most men weren't bothered by these new naked airport scanners... the thought of having their wives, girlfriends, young daughters or even their grandmothers being a victim by an anonymous peeping tom and virtual voyeur" prompted outrage.
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How much do Flying Pasties cost?
A single "male bottom" sticker for discreet genital shielding goes for $9.99. The "female full set" of three stickers retails at the low "introductory price" of $19.99 (regularly $29.99).
How new is this concept?
The company launched this July 4th, a date chosen to underline the theme of pasties as a tool of civil liberty.
Will these pasties really hide anything from powerful full-body scanners?
The website offers little evidence or technological data that would justify the claims, and commentators are skeptical. "[Flying Pasties] sound like regular old stickers with skin-safe adhesive," says JetSetCD at Jaunted. "How are scanners that can see through thick leather wallets going to be fooled by these?"
So is this a scam?
That remains to be seen. The operation seems rather amateur, says Passport Magazine's Joseph Pedro, who sarcastically dismisses the website as "very professional." Meanwhile, JetSetCD at Jaunted says the company spokesperson "obviously filmed his video spiel from his bedroom... using his lap top's camera." It's worth noting that the company provides no telephone number, no address other than a Las Vegas P.O. Box, and currently accepts payment via PayPal only.
Sources: Jaunted, Passport Magazine, Flyingpasties.com
