Plus-size model and body-positivity advocate Tess Holliday says she was left in a “state of shock” after a United Airlines flight attendant allegedly told her to lose weight during a first-class flight with her 9-year-old son.
The incident reportedly took place this week on a flight from Tampa, Florida. Holliday, 40, recounted the encounter to People magazine and in a TikTok video, describing a tense exchange that began after she accidentally pressed the flight attendant call button with her hip while using the restroom.
According to Holliday, the attendant then engaged her in a ten-minute conversation about her weight, telling her that losing weight would be in her “best interest.” He also shared a story about his own “very, very large” sister, claiming she had faced discrimination on a flight and insisting that the long-term effects of being overweight “aren’t good for our health.”
Holliday said the conversation escalated when the flight attendant linked her weight to her role as a mother. He allegedly told her, “If you cared about your child, you would do something, that you would lose the weight,” adding that she was “kidding herself” if she thought she didn’t need to lose weight.
Frozen during the exchange, Holliday said she did not want to make a scene in front of her son. She was able to exit the conversation only when another passenger approached to use the restroom.
The model also claimed the flight attendant later offered her son gummies to prevent him from being “tempted” by other snacks.
While acknowledging that some might view the attendant as “trying to be helpful,” Holliday stressed, “That’s not the point. You don’t say things like that to people.”
United Airlines confirmed that Holliday filed a complaint, stating the airline would review the situation and speak with the employee involved. Holliday emphasized she does not want the attendant fired, but hopes the incident raises awareness and prompts sensitivity training to prevent future occurrences.
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