Facial recognition couldn’t handle this woman’s glam

Updated May 27, 2025, 6:52 a.m. | By East Coast Breakfast

A woman’s bridal-level face beat sent Shanghai’s facial recognition tech into full meltdown mode.

Face recognition — Face rec / Ilya Lukichev / iStock

Have you ever got so glammed up that even technology doesn’t know who you are anymore?

Well, a woman at Shanghai Airport had to literally wipe away her entire face just to get past immigration.

No, this isn’t a plot twist from 'Black Mirror'. This actually happened.

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The woman in question was at the airport, about to catch a flight, with her face beat to the gods (as the makeup gurus say).

We’re talking lashes, contour, and probably a highlight you could see from space.

She steps up to the facial recognition scanner, and the machine takes one look and essentially says: “Who dis?”

Apparently, the system couldn’t recognise her through what officials described as “too much” makeup.

The poor woman was then handed wet wipes and told to scrub her face until her reflection matched her passport photo.

A voice behind the camera (presumably an airport official) can be heard saying: “Wipe everything off until you look like your passport photo. Why would you do your makeup like that? You’re asking for trouble.”

Imagine being scolded mid-makeup removal, airport stress and public humiliation all in one combo pack.

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Now, I know what you’re thinking. Was she giving full bridal face for a 12-hour economy seat experience? Yes. Yes, she was.

One of her travel buddies even described the look as “wedding day level”.

Honestly, I respect the hustle, because never know who you might run into at customs.

However the real question here isn’t why so much blush? It’s why did the scanner malfunction?

Aren’t these things supposed to be state-of-the-art? Designed to recognize you in bad lighting, with a beard, without a beard, 10 years older, or even mid-breakout?

Apparently, a little eyeshadow is enough to throw the system into an existential crisis.

It raises an even bigger point: if your identity can be erased by a smoky eye and a good contour, how reliable is this tech anyway?

Facial recognition software has been marketed as the all-seeing eye of modern security.

Yet here it is, crumbling under the weight of a bridal beat.

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In the grand scheme of things, it’s a funny story.

Yet it’s also a reminder that while machines are clever, they’re still learning how to navigate the very normal, very chaotic spectrum of human appearance.

So, for now, maybe go light on the glam if you’re flying out of Shanghai.

Better yet, carry a backup passport photo with your glam on.

Beat the system at its own game.