November 21, 2025 at 2:55 pm

Body Positivity Influencer, Tess Holliday, Talks About Her Experience When Flying On United Airlines

by Michael Levanduski

Tess Holliday on airline

TikTok, Shutterstock

Flying is almost never a pleasant experience (unless you are part of the very few who can fly private), but trying to fit into the tiny airline seats when you are a bigger person is almost torture.

Popular body positivity influencer, Tess Holliday, recently had an interaction while flying on United that she shared with her followers.

The video began with her saying, “I’m flying with my nine-year-old, who was so excited to fly first class for the first time.”

Hey, that will be a really exciting flight!

Woman talking about air travel

TikTok/tessholliday

The real issue with the story starts a while after takeoff when she has to go to the bathroom. She explains, “I go to the bathroom, I’m in the bathroom for maybe a total of two minutes. When I get up out of the bathroom, like off the toilet seat, my hip hit the flight attendant call button.”

Oops, I can see how that could happen. Those bathrooms are tight no matter how big you are.

Woman talking about air travel

TikTok/tesshollidayThe story continues, “I get a knock on the door from the flight attendant from the first class cabin asking if I am ok, to which I reply yes.”

Ok, no big deal, that seems like it was handled well. Then she says what the flight attendant said when she got out, “He then proceeded to tell me that his sister was using his companion flight, who was a ‘very very very large woman, probably my size, and that she had gotten a middle seat because she was flying standby.”

Why on Earth would he say it like that? This is insensitive.

There is even more to their conversation as well, all of which seems very hurtful.

Woman talking about airline bathrooms

TikTok/tessholliday

By the end of the story, she was hurt about the whole experience. “You don’t say things like that to people.”

I agree. Whether he was right or not, this is not a subject you talk about with strangers.

Watch the full video for yourself to get the entire story.

You can see it all right here:

@tessholliday

Replying to @m doesn’t matter if it was @United Airlines @delta or @Southwest Airlines who just removed its customer of size policy- all airlines need to do better. #plussize #plussizetravel #traveltiktok #unitedairlines #fyp

♬ original sound – Tess Holliday🍒

The people in the comments have a lot to say.

This person says she should take a weight loss pill.

Comment 1 109 Body Positivity Influencer, Tess Holliday, Talks About Her Experience When Flying On United Airlines

This is true, skinny people can be unhealthy as well.

Comment 2 109 Body Positivity Influencer, Tess Holliday, Talks About Her Experience When Flying On United Airlines

Here is someone saying that people treat her as less because she is bigger.

Comment 3 109 Body Positivity Influencer, Tess Holliday, Talks About Her Experience When Flying On United Airlines

How unprofessional.

If you liked that story, check out this video from a former Chipotle employee who reveals how the company cheats customers out of food.