Delta passenger distressed by seatmate's body-shaming texts, feeling trapped

A Delta Airlines traveler went viral after posting a video showing her silent tears when she noticed that the person sitting next to her had sent a text calling her a huge woman.

Vanessa, a TikTok creator with nearly 5,000 followers on her @soberspouse account, revealed that she read the offensive message over the shoulder of her neighbor during a flight from Tampa to New York City on November 26.

Weve taken off, and I cant stop crying, Vanessa wrote in the caption. The man next to me sends one text, urgh HUGE woman sat next to me I saw because I have eyes, and now I feel trapped for the next two hours.

She added a plea for kindness: Be kind. If youre so inclined, can you send me some love? Ive lost over 60 pounds and had been feeling really good about myself.

The video quickly gained attention, amassing 1.8 million views and 122,000 likes. Vanessa later posted a follow-up video during the flight, captioned, flying while fat is hard.

In an interview with The Mary Sue, Vanessa shared more details, noting that her seatmate had rolled his eyes at her even before she sat down. As I approached my row and made eye contact with the man in the window seat, I saw him sigh and roll his eyes. That immediately put me on alert, she explained.

After seeing the text, she said the man sent a series of empty messages to prevent her from reading it again. Vanessa admitted feeling frozen but chose not to confront him, fearing she might be removed from the plane.

Following the viral post, Vanessa received an outpouring of support on TikTok. Many viewers praised her weight loss journey and encouraged her to stay confident despite the incident. Comments included messages like: You lost 60 lbs?!? CONGRATULATIONS! That clearly took a lot of effort dont let this jerk derail you, and Continue to shine & be confident in all your hard work. Congrats queen.

In subsequent videos, Vanessa said that the encouragement she received has helped rebuild her confidence and allowed her to move on, even though she claimed the seatmate continued to encroach into her space.

Delta Airlines has been contacted for further comment.

Author: Sophia Brooks