A teenage traveler has revealed that one of her fellow passengers accused her of being “fat-phobic” when she asked to switch plane seats after being placed between two “plus-sized” people.
The 19-year-old, who did not share her name online, sparked a furious debate after she explained Reddit last month that the incident happened while she was on a flight from Las Vegas to New York.
She said she was assigned a middle seat and that “both people next to her were plus-sized,” leaving her with very little room.
The Reddit user claimed that because airplane seats are “terribly small,” none of her neighbors could “fit comfortably in their seats.”
A teenage traveler revealed that a fellow passenger accused her of being “fatphobic” when she asked to switch plane seats after being placed between two “plus-sized” people (stock image)
The 19-year-old, who did not share her name online, explained on Reddit last month that none of her neighbors could ‘fit comfortably in their seats’
She said they were “on top of her,” so about an hour and a half later she privately asked a flight attendant if she could move seats.
While the 19-year-old said she tried to be as discreet as possible as she made the switch, she said her actions drew serious criticism from the plus-size woman in the seat next door.
The Reddit user claimed the passenger said she “embarrassed” her by “making it a public demonstration for everyone that plus-sized passengers are an ‘inconvenience.’
She shared her story online while asking others if what she had done was wrong under the subreddit Am I the A**hole? — and her story sparked a heated conversation about whether or not her actions were justified.
“I just got off a flight from Las Vegas to New York. My assigned seat was a middle seat and both people next to me were plus size,” she wrote.
“I wouldn’t have a problem with this in any other situation, but airplane seats are terribly small and none of my neighbors could comfortably fit in their seats.
“On either side of me, my neighbor’s shoulder was on mine and their thigh was on mine as well.
She shared her story online while asking others if what she had done was wrong under the subreddit Am I the A**hole? — and it got over 2,000 comments
“It was quite a long flight and was quite uncomfortable, so after about an hour and a half I walked up to the flight attendant and explained the situation as personally and kindly as possible.
“I asked if there were any other seats available. She managed to find a chair a few rows behind mine for me to sit on.’
The traveler explained that it was “quite uncomfortable” as she grabbed her bag and moved to the new seat, but neither she nor the other passengers said anything at the time.
She continued, “The rest of the flight went fine. However, after I got out, the woman I sat next to earlier was waiting for me.
She essentially told me that I had embarrassed her and the other guy and that traveling with a plus size is hard enough without ‘people who treat fatness like a contagious disease.’
She also said I made it a public demonstration for everyone that large passengers are an “inconvenience” and opened the door for fat phobia on flights.
“I really didn’t mean it to come across like that but I can understand how it came about and everyone on the run saw me move so now I wonder if I should have just stuck it out. It wasn’t like I was choking or anything. AITA?’
The woman’s post quickly went viral, receiving more than 2,000 comments and 8,000 likes. And while some commentators criticized her, many insisted she did nothing wrong.
‘Not the bastard. You have in no way held a “public demonstration” nor contributed to fat phobia,” one defender wrote.
“You were not comfortable and discreetly asked for another seat. She’s an asshole for saying that chatter. The biggest asshole is airlines that have been making seats smaller for the past 20+ years.”
‘Not the bastard. Her anger is misdirected. She can go ahead and be mad at the airlines for not being able to accommodate people her size, but it’s a perfectly normal human reaction not to want to touch someone you don’t know and to take steps not to let that happen ,’ someone else agreed.
Another person said, ‘Not the a**hole. Speaking as a fat person, if you sat next to me I would be very happy that a solution has been found that makes it more comfortable for everyone.
“I am very aware when my fatness encroaches on someone else’s space and I am more ashamed of that.
“You spoke softly to the servant. It’s not like you got up and started screaming and calling them pigs or anything.
“What you did was find a solution that allowed everyone to sit comfortably and maintain their dignity.”
“This wasn’t your fat-shaming. This was you looking for comfort. That she was uncomfortable was her problem, not yours. You have not disgraced her publicly. You handled the situation extremely well,” read a fourth comment.
In February, New Orleans major influencer Samyra Miller went viral after she shared a clip of herself asking for a seatbelt extender on a plane
And while she shared it in an effort to normalize the act, it sparked a discussion about bigger passengers
On one side of the divide, dozens of people supported the sentiment, thanking Samyra for sharing the realization that belt extenders even exist
However, some said it should have been a “wake-up call” to her “unhealthy” lifestyle
In February, major New Orleans influencer Samyra Miller went viral after she shared a clip of herself asking for a seatbelt extender on an airplane.
And while she shared it in an effort to normalize the act, it sparked a discussion about bigger passengers.
“Never be afraid to ask for a seatbelt extender on the plane,” she wrote alongside the video, which was viewed millions of times in a matter of days.
On one side of the divide, dozens of people supported the sentiment, thanking Samyra for sharing the realization that belt extenders even exist.
However, some said it should have been a “wake-up call” to her “unhealthy” lifestyle.
Afterwards, Samyra responded to a comment saying “fat people don’t deserve to fly,” saying, “Apparently there are a lot of things fat people don’t deserve.”
“According to this person, we don’t deserve to fly. According to some clothing brands, designers, we don’t deserve to have clothes, to model clothes.
“According to some popular dating shows, we don’t deserve to find love. And according to many people, we don’t deserve to eat either.’
“I can tell you what we earn. We deserve humanity. And [under] the video this comment is on, the video of me asking for a belt extender, the comments are full of viscous attempts to rob me of my humanity.
“And I just wanted to let you all know it’s not going to work. It’s not going to work.’