Tess Holliday’s Shocking Experience with Flight Attendant

Plus-size model Tess Holliday recently shared her disbelief after a flight attendant told her to lose weight during a United Airlines flight. Holliday, 40, was flying first class from Tampa, Florida, with her 9-year-old son when an incident unfolded while she was in the bathroom.

As she explained, “When I came out of the bathroom, the flight attendant, noticing I was with a child, suggested that it would benefit me to lose weight.” The attendant then went on to talk about his sister, implying she was “very, very big,” and how both of their sizes could lead to health issues.

She was taken aback by the length of the conversation, which lasted around 10 minutes. “I just froze. I didn’t want to make a scene, especially with my son there, but I was in total shock,” she admitted.

Holliday highlighted the significance of the flight for her son, who was excited about his first real first-class experience, having flown as a baby without memories of it. “It was a big deal for him,” she noted.

In her video, she revealed that the flight attendant claimed someone had complained about her weight, and said things about her sister that were quite “offensive,” even though her sister agreed she should lose weight.

The model further alleged that the attendant suggested, “If you cared about your child, you would do something, you would lose weight.” He even called it a joke to think she didn’t need to lose weight.

Holliday acknowledged that some might think the attendant was merely trying to help, but she firmly disagreed. “That’s not the point. You don’t say things like that. The conversation just kept going on,” she emphasized. Fortunately, she managed to end the discussion when another passenger came to the bathroom.

At the end of her video, she mentioned that the same attendant later came to her seat to offer snacks, allegedly giving her son a gummy to avoid “temptation.” Afterward, Holliday reached out to United, saying she didn’t want anyone fired, but hoped for sensitivity training to prevent such incidents in the future.

United Airlines has yet to comment on the incident.