There are many different ways to travel but one of the preferred methods is to fly to your destination. There is nothing quite like stepping on a plane in one location and then stepping off in a different location a short time later, even though they may be hundreds or thousands of miles apart. Admittedly, unless you are able to fly first class, the seats can be a little cramped but most of us are willing to forgo a little comfort in order to save a lot of time.
If you were to ask somebody about their experience when on a flight, you may get a mixed reaction. Most people have at least something to complain about but Savanna Phillips had a story that is making many people online very angry. It turns out that she was a victim of body shaming by the man that sat in the seat next to her. Rather than enjoying the flight to Chicago, she cried silently in the seat but the story didn’t end there. Something took place that is making the Internet cheer for her ‘hero’.
Bullies come in all shapes and sizes and sometimes, they may come out of the blue. When you find yourself in this type of a situation, remember what Savanna went through on her flight. It can also inspire you if you see someone being bullied in some way or another. Here is the story:
Savannah realizes that people can be rather cruel when they are sitting next to someone that they consider to be “too big.” That is why she often chooses her seat at the last minute so that she is in a row were nobody is sitting next to her. She says, “I’m not the biggest person on the airplane, but I’m not the smallest. My worst nightmare is someone being uncomfortable because they have to sit next to me.”
As it turns out, the flight to Chicago was rescheduled because of the weather so she was reassigned to a different seat at the gate. When she was on the plane, she saw that the window seat she was originally assigned had now been given to a man who claimed to be a comedian.
All was well and good until that man took out his phone, which had a large font and high contrast settings and started texting. Savannah saw that he said he was sitting next to a “smelly fatty,” and it went downhill from there.
“I don’t even know what the rest of his text said. I turned my head away as fast as I could. I was shocked and it was like confirmation of the negative things I think about myself on a daily basis.”
She had turned her face away from the cruel man because she was still crying. She couldn’t believe that she would be stuck in that seat next to him for hours.
To add insult to injury, the flight was then delayed. It was then that she heard a voice from behind her say something that took her quite by surprise. It also gave her hope. The voice said, “We are switching seats. Now.” The man behind her was talking to the ‘comedian’ texter sitting beside her.
He openly explained to the flight attendant standing nearby and to the bully that he had seen him sending the hurtful text messages and the seats would be switched. He called the man heartless and the reassignment of seats was made. Savannah later learned that her hero’s name was Chase Irwin and he said what he saw on that man’s screen made him furious.
“I told him thank you for what he did and that it meant the world to me, and that he would be my husband’s new favorite person. The flight attendant kept trying to give him free drinks and told him that he was her hero. He wasn’t her hero – he was mine,” Savanna said.
Savanna and Chase chatted for the remainder of the flight. They talked about their lives back home and their families. Savannah ends her viral Facebook post with the following, thoughtful comment:
“I was so blessed and happy he was there. I hope it sets a good example for others for what they should do in situations like that and to stick up for people when they need help.”