‘People say I’m going to cause a plane crash’
Plus-size model Jae’lynn Chaney has an obsession with world traveling, but she has encountered some hurdles along the way.
The influencer, 25, regularly posts her wanderlust moments on TikTok to her 76,800 followers. However, she explained that most aircraft are not designed for people with larger frames, which has alarmed fellow travelers.
“[One person said] that I’m going to cause a plane crash because of my size,” she revealed to NeedToKnow.online. “Many of the comments say that I should buy two seats or that I shouldn’t be allowed to fly.”
Chaney, who is a size 6XL, described what it’s like to “travel when you’re fat” and, indeed, spends extra for more space.
“Someone my size is almost forced to purchase two seats in order to fly comfortably, which makes travel inaccessible to people who can’t afford the additional costs,” the blogger revealed, adding that she can’t fit into seats or squeeze into small toilet cubicles.
One clip that the Vancouver native shared recently garnered over 3 million views and showed herself struggling to fit into the airplane bathroom.
“I get asked how the airplane bathrooms are for someone my size all the time so I thought I’d show you what it’s like from my fiancé’s point of view,” she scribed on TikTok.
Another issue she faces while flying is seat belts, since they don’t stretch across her body. So, as seen in one of her videos, Chaney uses a seat belt extension on planes so she could fly comfortably.
“I find that many situations surrounding plus-size travel are the least accommodating of my weight,” Chaney went on. “Not only am I plus size, but I also now live with chronic pain and disabilities.”
The self-proclaimed “Body Positive Baddie” said she was a size 2XL in high school and gained weight after being diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome. Once she graduated college in 2018, she became very sick and took a year off to recover.
In 2019, she gained over 100 pounds after being medically housebound and was in and out of the hospital due to pulmonary hypertension.
Despite the struggles, Chaney said she’s adamant about proving to her followers that they can travel and love their bodies of any size.
“My mission is to show that bodies of all sizes and abilities are just as worthy as those who fall into the societal norm of beauty,” she said. “I’m creating representation and empowering people to live their life to the fullest.”
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