Ok, let me start by apologizing for that title, I just couldn’t help myself. Now on to the good news.
A fatphobe found herself seated in the middle seat on a plane between two plus-size people, and decided that her best choice was to verbally abuse her row-mates. She started on the phone to someone, complaining loudly that they were “squishing her” (though a video taken by Norma Rodgers, one of her row-mates does not substantiate that claim) Fatphobe then turned her ire to the flight attendant saying ““Get me out of here. I can’t do this. I can’t breathe, I’m so squished,” she said, before adding, “I eat salads, okay?”
Throughout the interaction we see the cruelty of fatphobia, but here we see the ridiculousness. Seriously, Fatphobe? “I eat salad.”? That’s what you went with? Plenty of fat people eat salad, plenty of thin people don’t. Airlines have tons of promotions but “Eat a salad, choose your seatmates” is not one of them.
What isn’t funny at all is that she is white and her two row-mates are Black, so we have to ask ourselves to what extent racism was also at the root of, and driving her behavior.
At that point, in a bit of video that makes me want to stand up and cheer in my living room, Norma Rodgers – the hero we need – had e-fucking-nough and asked the flight attendant to find Fatphobe another seat because “I will not be abused by this bitch, or anybody else, I will not be verbally abused by anybody. I’m not tolerating it.” Tell her Ms. Rodgers.
The flight attendant asks Fatphobe to move to the back of the plane while they look for another seat and as she is leaving the row she says again “I eat salad.” That’s where it gets good.
While Ms. Rodgers asks the flight attendant how to report Fatphobe, repeating that she is not going to be treated this way, and the flight attendant empathizes and assists, the rest of the plane lets Fatphobe know that her behavior is not ok. In a glorious finish to this story, Fatphobe got kicked off the plane. I can only hope that her seat remained empty so that her abused row-mates could stretch out and enjoy their Fatphobe-free flight.
A few final points:
Much has been made in online discussions that I’ve seen about the fact that Fatphobe isn’t particularly thin. I don’t care about that, since there’s no weight at which her behavior would have been appropriate.
If you’re thinking something like “Making fat people buy two seats for one flight isn’t fat shaming, it’s just economics” then head over to this post.
If you’re thinking something like “But fat people on planes taking up space aren’t fair to thin people!” then head over to this post.
If you know what’s up, then just take this time to enjoy the fact that two fat people flew to their destinations while Fatphobe watched them take off from the airport, where flight attendants booted her ass after being shamed by fellow passengers of all sizes. Progress, far too slow and far too painful, but progress.
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Dances With Fat 
To fatphobe:
May I suggest time travel on board the Hindenburg over Lakehurst NJ?
Read them comments at your own risk. I ate a salad yesterday. I am now unsure if I am allowed on a plane. A “fat person” saying call an slob a slob. I didn’t see slobbitude. I’d feel squished too. At 380. I’d buy two seats simply to avoid this issue. If I was 280. I’d still do it.
I… don’t think you’re allowed to smoke that in here?
Airlines need to charge fat people more because it takes more cloth to make the airplanes that could have just stopped eating their waist-to-hip ratio if they didn’t want to be treated like my fat best friend who always got sick when tough love lost ten pounds and kept all my tax dollars that didn’t want to hear that the harsh bio-truth evolved to eat a salad and take a brisk walk, but not like that, because your unhealthy knees don’t HAVE to find fat people attractive to the second law of thermodynamics, you know, even though it’s not fair to thin people that even though I’m fat I’m happy to pay double for an extra science.
…there. Now we’ve all read all the comments. *yawn*
That…was awesome.
LOL, thanks. My only regret is that I couldn’t work, “emotional issue” and “if you REALLY loved yourself” and “Did you just say fat people deserve to be treated with basic human dignity? OMG WHY DO YOU HATE THIN PEOPLE?!” in there somewhere.
Yeah. Shame on you for that. Also, you misspelled “bio-troof.” But, I’ll let it slide. This time.
Myself, it’s not “you are so fat, the sight of you makes me sick”, but a big scoop of “I don’t want to sit next to POC.”
Had those two women been of “acceptable weight”, this wing nut would have crapped about smell or something else.
Wing nut picked the lowest hanging fruit (fat), because “everyone hates being squished”, instead of POC make me uncomfortable. It’s not socially acceptable to complain about that.
I have a relative who will take the worse seat on the airplane to not sit next to “Mexicans” or “Blacks”. These people are out there.
I believe it. Unfortunately, I have those relatives too. It astounds me, continually.
At least one of these people was in articles identified as a man, not “two women”.
I noticed in a lot of (toxic) comments these two people were referred to as a “couple.” I saw zero evidence of this. Of course they might be, but I think it’s a racist assumption.
They might be a couple because booking a window and an aisle seat (and booking two aisle seats across from each other) is a pretty common thing for couples to do. My parents prefer to book airline seats that way.
However, I agree that it is an assumption without any evidence to support it. In fact, I think a couple would have been talking to each other or at least exchanging looks, while the people in the video didn’t appear to do so. So what little evidence there is is against the assumption.
Further, it doesn’t matter. They are two people. Whether they are two people in a relationship, two friends, two coworkers, or two strangers have no bearing on the problem at hand.
As far as I know they self-identified as people travelling together. Still doesn’t mean we should be assuming their genders or relationship.
I love a story with a happy ending. Thanks, Ragen.
This really made me laugh! I honestly think that that’s **exactly** what she deserved! How can anybody even come up with a behavior *like that*?! But, you know, I am pleased, because there were many people who confronted our fatphobe.
It’s part of the reason I cannot bring myself to get on a plane. I have serious self hatred going already- I read this blog ALOT to keep working on self LOVE. I have anxiety and depression and my dog goes basically everywhere that she’s allowed to(she is NOT a service dog) and like me, she dislikes people.
Yay! This sort of story gives me hope.
I had some salad with dinner. Now where do I sit? Meltdown seating and self important morons section?
What fascinates me the most is the sheer rudeness. Let’s assume for the moment that she really did feel crowded in and squeezed, that it wasn’t about racism or fatphobia. (A stretch, I know. Her fatphobia, at least, came out in full force. But let’s just put that aside for a moment.) It can happen – airline seats are quite small; you don’t have to be fat or sit next to fat people to feel like you don’t have enough room. My husband is a broad-shouldered man. No matter if he is fat or skinny or in between, he will never fit into a typical economy class seat until the airlines start making changes. He always “spills over” to the person next to him. Thankfully, that person is usually me and I rather like it! If she is claustrophobic, she could have felt “squeezed” without *actually* being squeezed. Asking to be reseated is not out of line. You speak to the flight attendant (preferably away from the seat in question) and you ask if there are any available seats on the flight where you can have a bit more room. And if the answer is no, you accept that. Where she crossed the line is in her utter rudeness. No one deserves to be dehumanized like that. “Eating salad” is not a free pass on rudeness. I am filled with joy that the rest of the plane called her out on it and she missed her flight.
Yeah, if she had simply told the FA that she was feeling claustrophobic, the FA probably would have been able to help her.
Also, that FA was a HERO!
Agree. That is how a rational person would handle it. This woman was having a total meltdown. “I eat salads!” “I eat salads!” Man if that was the do all for being treated with deference and respect across the board we’d have it tattooed on our foreheads.
EXT. BUSY CITY STREET
A car drives down the road, a harried BUSINESSMAN behind the wheel. Traffic is heavy and it’s obvious he’s running late. Suddenly, a semi cuts him off. He’s not able to brake in time and he dents the truck’s back fender.
Irate, the businessman jumps out of the car and storms the cab, ready to give the TRUCK DRIVER the lecture of his life. He approaches the cab. The truck driver thinks fast. He reaches into the passenger seat and whips out a deli box with a clearly-marked label.
It’s… SALAD!
The businessman sees it, chuckles and gives the truck driver an “oh, you!” wave, and returns to his car.
*Cue Jingle*
It doesn’t matter what comes
fresh goes better than life
with SALAD fresh and full of life!
Fresh goes better!
SALAD freshness!
Fresh goes better with salad, fresh and full of life!
Salad – the Freshmaker!
My God! All the road rage incidents that could have been avoided! Hey, would they work for those tense/have to family gatherings do Ya think?