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Meet Jae'lynn Chaney, a 25-year-old travel blogger, body positivity advocate, and content creator out on a mission to help society unlearn harmful biases. She believes that all bodies can be travel bodies and that everyone deserves to travel comfortably. By covering anything from her wanderlust moments to the hurdles she encounters on the way, Jae has captured the internet’s heart.

With over 108,000 followers on TikTok, Jae recently went viral with her 'Plus-Size Travel Struggles' series where she lists the things "plus-size travelers hate" and highlights the issues in an industry still hostile to all bodies, sizes, and shapes.

In the videos, which amassed more than 16 million views on the platform, the TikToker evaluates her experiences and sheds light on how airlines, hotels, and other businesses consistently fail to accommodate larger-bodied globetrotters. Below, we gathered some illuminating examples Jae shared with her audience, from towels that don’t fit to tray tables that wouldn’t come down. So continue scrolling, upvote as you go, and be sure to share your own stories in the comments below, we’d love to hear all about them.

Body positivity advocate Jae'lynn Chaney recently went viral for sharing "things plus-size travelers hate" that highlight how the travel industry is still hostile to bodies of all sizes

Image credits: jaebaeofficial

You can watch Jae’s "Things Plus-Size Travelers Hate" series, which amassed over 16 million views, right below

@jaebaeofficial These are some of the struggles that plus size travelers face. Travel is possible for everyBODY, but it definitely comes with challenges and should be more accessible!! What travel challenges have you faced? #plussizetravel #plussizetravelblogger #flyingwhilefat #travellingwhilefat #travelingwhilefat #traveltok #plussize #plussizeedition #fyp ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey

Here are some of the obstacles Jae faces when traveling

#1

22 "Plus-Size Travel Struggles" Skinny People Don't Have To Worry About When Traveling Turnstiles and worrying you'll get stuck.

jaebaeofficial , Karen Foto Report

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Noah
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm sure even skinny people are scared of these. At least I am...

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#2

22 "Plus-Size Travel Struggles" Skinny People Don't Have To Worry About When Traveling People staring all the time.

jaebaeofficial , Keira Burton Report

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Courtney Christelle
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

People need to remember that manners are free. I once met a cyclops and didn't make a thing about it.

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Jae’s incredible personality and powerful statements may have racked up millions of views, but they also deeply resonate with people struggling in a society obsessed with seemingly perfect looks and unrealistic beauty standards. This just goes to show just how absurd and flawed the travel industry is by failing "to realize that the average woman is no longer a size 14," as Jae said in an interview with BuzzFeed. "They are now a size 18 and beyond. Yet as we’ve gotten bigger, things like airplane seats, clothing, and everything else has gotten smaller or stayed the exact same."

To gain more insight into the struggles larger-bodied travelers face on their journeys, we reached out to animator, illustrator, and body positivity activist Stacy Bias aiming to amplify marginalized voices. "From running the Flying While Fat Facebook group for the last several years, I've witnessed thousands of concerns and I've learned that there are some experiences that are shared across the size spectrum," she told Bored Panda.

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#3

22 "Plus-Size Travel Struggles" Skinny People Don't Have To Worry About When Traveling Not being able to find clothes your size anywhere.

jaebaeofficial , William Matt Report

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Well-Dressed Wolf
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As I mentioned on the "towels" post - using double or triple the material to create clothing that would "fit" an obese person costs double or triple the materials-cost to the company making it. Either companies are going to have to charge more for larger clothing sizes, as they literally use way more material to make them, or the cost of everyone's clothing, including normal-sized ones, are going to have to go up in order to cover the costs of manufacturing clothing sized for obese people.

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#4

22 "Plus-Size Travel Struggles" Skinny People Don't Have To Worry About When Traveling Chairs with armrests.

jaebaeofficial , Christopher Woo Report

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Taibhse Sealgair
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Let's be explicitly clear: @jaebaeofficial you are not the victim here.

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Being the creator of the research-led Flying While Fat documentary animation, she helps travelers make their voices heard by allowing them to share their experiences. And she was more than happy to chat about the infuriating, annoying, and stressful challenges plus-size people face.

According to Bias, anticipatory anxiety is a huge factor that affects folks' emotional well-being when flying — or even considering it. "What individuals anxiously anticipate does vary, but common themes are 'not fitting' and/or being re-seated or asked to deplane, needing to ask for a seatbelt extender and fearing potential humiliation at the hands of a potentially insensitive flight crew, or not having an extender available, rendering them unsafe."

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Bias continued that needing to use the airline toilet can also cause dread: "Being afraid of not fitting through the narrow doors or having insufficient space to adequately engage in hygiene practices once inside." Moreover, fellow passengers seems to also be a source of anxiety as travelers may fear bumping or disrupting them "when traversing the aisles, or being seated next to someone who is hostile."

#5

22 "Plus-Size Travel Struggles" Skinny People Don't Have To Worry About When Traveling Getting ridiculous comments about being a fat traveler.

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Lisa Owen
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's not a ridiculous comment when said obese person is literally spilling over into half of my seat .

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#6

22 "Plus-Size Travel Struggles" Skinny People Don't Have To Worry About When Traveling Always wondering if you're going to "fit" (airplane seats, public transportation, etc).

jaebaeofficial , SuperJet International Report

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Susan S
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Who thought this would be a good topic?? Non-obese people will be afraid of down votes, while obese people are ether in denial (I'm not fat, I'm just thick), or don't want to come out admitting they don't like having to buy 2 airline seat tickets for their un-accommodated booties? In case I get downvoted to death, it was fun while it lasted (leaving snarky comments). Btw, my profile pic was from before Covid. From the pandemic comfort foods, menopause, my rheumatoid arthritis, and my lower back now needing multi-level vertabrae fusion, I gained 30 lbs, but am looking to get more active once I am allowed to after my fusion surgery. So, I am not sure if I would classify myself as in denial or plus sized yet

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#7

22 "Plus-Size Travel Struggles" Skinny People Don't Have To Worry About When Traveling Tiny airplane bathrooms.

jaebaeofficial , Kārlis Dambrāns Report

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Miria Isah
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I feel like half of these complaints completely overlook the fact that there is limited space on a plane to begin with.

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"For some at the smaller end of the size spectrum (within fat activism, the relevant categories are 'small fats' or 'medium fats'), these fears sometimes or even often prove unfounded," Bias continued. "For those at the higher end of the size spectrum ('large', 'super' or 'infini' fats), those anxieties are more often realized and are accompanied by physical barriers to access and safety as well."

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The fear of "not fitting" causes a great deal of stress for plus-size people, as they often feel pressured to make decisions that would ensure a smooth experience. But sadly, they don’t come without a cost, whether it be financial, social, or wellness-related.

"Some are forced to purchase two seats or to navigate uncertainty in using inconsistently applied Customer of Size policies. And some, in fact, 25% of my research participants, intentionally dehydrate themselves before getting on planes to avoid having to use the restroom and/or stand up and disrupt seatmates or other passengers in the aisle, and both dehydration and lack of movement are risk factors in developing DVT [deep vein thrombosis]," Bias explained.

#8

22 "Plus-Size Travel Struggles" Skinny People Don't Have To Worry About When Traveling Worrying you're going to break the toilet.

jaebaeofficial , Eric Lumsden Report

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Alison Rafter Sorensen
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The amount of fat-shaming comments on this are staggeringly disappointing. I foolishly thought humans on BP were better than this.

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#9

22 "Plus-Size Travel Struggles" Skinny People Don't Have To Worry About When Traveling Worrying about asking for a seatbelt extender.

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#10

22 "Plus-Size Travel Struggles" Skinny People Don't Have To Worry About When Traveling When the tray table can't come down.

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Jo Cooper
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This used to bother me, the little fold down desks on the uni seats too. Then I lost weight…

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The idea that larger-bodied people should be granted the same respect and opportunities as anyone else isn’t new. But the overwhelming response to Jae’s video series makes you wonder why this important conversation is so rarely touched upon. When we asked Bias to share her opinion on the matter, she told us this topic pops its head up once every now and then with a new person going viral with their experiences.

But unfortunately, "the cultural conversation around whose suffering is legitimate and what space people are entitled to when that space is highly commodified is once again held on the backs of fat people with no meaningful change at the end."

"It tends to bring on haranguing abuse from one side and supportive comments from the other, but on balance, there's been no measurable movement in creating safer and more equitable travel for passengers of all sizes and abilities," the activist added.

#11

22 "Plus-Size Travel Struggles" Skinny People Don't Have To Worry About When Traveling Restaurants that don’t have seating options for plus-size people.

jaebaeofficial , Hotel du Vin & Bistro Report

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Well-Dressed Wolf
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Downvote me into oblivion, but I will die on this hill: most of the time, obesity isn't a disability in the same way that cerebral palsy is. Or being paralyzed, needing a wheelchair due to spinal/brain damage, only having one leg (or none), birth defects, having had a stroke or injury that results in brain damage, being blind, etc. Many of my family members are morbidly obese, and none were born that way. All of them became obese due to over-eating. While it's not always their FAULT that they became addicted to food, it's their responsibility to lose weight. It is not the world's responsibility to make everything accommodating for obese people. I've struggled with drug addiction, so I KNOW what addiction is like and how hard it is to change and get healthy. But saying it's a "disability" that you can't help or change is absolutely untrue. (Final disclaimer: yes, there are medical conditions that cause obesity without massive caloric intake. Most obese people are not obese due to that.)

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#12

22 "Plus-Size Travel Struggles" Skinny People Don't Have To Worry About When Traveling Bunk beds.

jaebaeofficial , Taber Andrew Bain Report

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Susan S
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Are bunk beds in the list because plus sized people are complaining about not being able to use the top bunk??

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#13

22 "Plus-Size Travel Struggles" Skinny People Don't Have To Worry About When Traveling Getting stuck with two twin mattresses instead of a king.

jaebaeofficial , Kim Report

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Well-Dressed Wolf
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Book a queen/king room at the time of booking. If the hotel tries to force you into a room with two twin mattresses instead, demand the room you paid for (king/queen bed). You paid for the king/queen bed, you should GET the king/queen bed!

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When asked about what kind of change is needed in the travel industry to make it more supportive of bodies of all sizes, Bias said, "I think the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] needs to mandate an increase in minimum seat width and pitch and require that airplane safety testing and cabin design include a realistic distribution of body sizes, ages, and abilities."

#15

22 "Plus-Size Travel Struggles" Skinny People Don't Have To Worry About When Traveling Boat ladders, pool ladders, all ladders.

jaebaeofficial , Wonderlane Report

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Serial pacifist
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Really, why do they do this, it’s not like they run out of metal or something.

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#16

22 "Plus-Size Travel Struggles" Skinny People Don't Have To Worry About When Traveling Having little to no room to move.

jaebaeofficial Report

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But it’s important to note that people can also seek change. "The FAA is currently accepting public comment on setting minimum seat widths and I would highly encourage people to voice their opinions."

Bias knows the FAA is not interested in the comfort of people in larger bodies, but they must pay attention to concerns regarding safety. "If a body does not have sufficient space or leverage to rise quickly, if a body has insufficient space to adopt a brace for impact position, if a body has insufficient space to overstep a neighbor or travel an aisle that may not be cleared of debris, then the plane is not safe for anyone," she said. "Current airplane configurations present a risk to wellness for all passengers and this must be rectified."

#17

22 "Plus-Size Travel Struggles" Skinny People Don't Have To Worry About When Traveling Very limited poolside seating/lounging options for plus-size people.

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Alexandra Davis
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Try 'can't even get into the pool because it has no wheelchair hoist' that's the case for like 95% of hotel pools, even ones with accessible rooms! Least obese people can sit on the floor/ still access the pool!

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#18

22 "Plus-Size Travel Struggles" Skinny People Don't Have To Worry About When Traveling Getting pat down because you're fat.

jaebaeofficial , Oregon Department of Transportation Report

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Ivanh
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It just happens to lots of people being overweight has nothing to do with it. I'm skinny and every flight I get pulled aside by airport security for additional screening, apparently I must look dodgy

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#19

22 "Plus-Size Travel Struggles" Skinny People Don't Have To Worry About When Traveling Narrow aisles and bulkhead seats.

jaebaeofficial , Matthew Hurst Report

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To anyone struggling with travel anxiety and fearing the industry will fail to cater to their needs, Bias offered some words of encouragement. "Find community. Ask questions. And don't put yourself in harm's way to avoid inconveniencing others."

"Understand that capitalism is the driving force in creating the medians upon which built space is constructed, and that very fat, very tall, very short, and disabled bodies are excluded from the processes of determining those medians. Bodies have always been and will always be diverse, and for a diversity of reasons. You are worth accommodation," Bias concluded.

#20

22 "Plus-Size Travel Struggles" Skinny People Don't Have To Worry About When Traveling Chub rub

jaebaeofficial , Su Casa Panamá Report

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Deborah B
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Try a product like Megababe Thigh Rescue. There are also anti-chaffing fabric thigh bands. How do I know? /used to be obese. Practically speaking, it's hard work, and psychologically there's constant body disphoria.

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#21

22 "Plus-Size Travel Struggles" Skinny People Don't Have To Worry About When Traveling Souvenir shops that don't have your size.

jaebaeofficial , Grand Canyon National Park Report

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Ariadna
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

as a former fat woman who struggle this A LOT. Since childhood with awful comments an rejection let me tell you: its your life, that’s no way to live, we both know you want to feel better, i was not happy, ir hurts every day. I learned at the hard way hurting my self worried of what others see. They are not important, probably never see them again, you need to do it for you, not for others opinions. I know how hard it is, even coming from my mom who don’t even want to sit next to me on an airplane because she was ashamed of me. It’s not normal been so beautiful and young and need to use oxygen, if you need to talk I’m here, trust me you are not alone. I’m 35 now and I don’t care if anyone sees my cellulitis, scars, stretch marks, I love them because now I’m feeling better, that’s the only think that matter, the way I look to myself, no by others.

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#22

22 "Plus-Size Travel Struggles" Skinny People Don't Have To Worry About When Traveling Not being able to find accessible path and hiking trails.

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Susan S
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You have to bring your heavy oxygen machine with you, and you're wearing open toe sandels. Why would you want to hike?

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But in the end, the content creator says the experience makes it totally worth it

Image credits: jaebaeofficial

Viewers jumped to the comments to express overwhelming support and chime in with their own experiences