Delta passenger says she felt ‘trapped’ after spotting seatmate’s body-shaming text, shares moment on TikTok

Woman says she felt humiliated after seeing seatmate’s text on Delta flight

A Delta Air Lines passenger says she broke down in tears mid-flight after seeing her seatmate send a text that appeared to mock her body, an exchange she later described as leaving her feeling like a “prisoner” for the duration of the trip.

The traveler, who posts on TikTok under the username @soberspouse, shared a video of herself quietly crying shortly after takeoff on a flight from Tampa to New York City on 26 November.

In her clip, which has since gone viral, she says she noticed a message on the phone of the man seated next to her that read: “urgh HUGE woman sat next to me.”

According to her video caption, the discovery left her shaken. “We’ve taken off, and I can’t stop crying… now I feel like a prisoner for the next 2 hours,” she wrote, adding that she had recently lost more than 60 pounds and had been feeling proud of her progress.

@soberspouse

 

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A follow-up clip filmed during the flight included the message “flying while fat is hard,” capturing how the moment affected her.

@soberspouse

But also, wtf is wrong with people

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Her posts have collectively drawn millions of views and tens of thousands of comments, many offering support and praising her weight-loss journey.

In an interview with The Mary Sue, she said the encounter felt uncomfortable from the moment she reached her row.

She claimed the man in the window seat sighed and rolled his eyes as she approached, and that after she saw the offending text, he appeared to send a series of blank messages, something she interpreted as an attempt to hide the conversation.

She also said she felt “frozen” and chose not to confront him, fearing that any confrontation could lead to her being removed from the flight.

Despite the distressing experience, she later told followers that the outpouring of encouragement online had helped her regain her confidence.

She added that she intends to move forward, even though she alleges her seatmate was leaning into her space throughout the flight.