Tess Holliday Confronts Flight Attendant Over Weight Comments During Family Trip

By Zoe Papadakis | Wednesday, 29 October 2025 12:44 PM EDT

Model and body-positivity advocate Tess Holliday has disclosed an unsettling encounter with a United Airlines flight attendant during a family trip from Tampa, Florida. The incident occurred in the first-class cabin when Holliday accidentally triggered the call button while using the restroom.

Holliday recounted to People that after exiting the bathroom, the flight attendant approached her, noting she was traveling with her son and advising, “losing weight would be in my best interest.” The attendant reportedly mentioned his sister, describing her as “very, very large, probably [Holliday’s] size,” and suggested she too needed to lose weight for health reasons. The conversation, which lasted approximately 10 minutes, left Holliday stunned but hesitant to escalate the situation due to her son’s presence.

The 9-year-old boy was on his first first-class flight, watching Lilo & Stitch before the incident. After landing, Holliday reported the encounter to United Airlines, expressing concern without demanding disciplinary action, instead requesting sensitivity training. The airline apologized, and Holliday also referred the case to the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance.

The timing of the event felt ironic for Holliday, who had recently addressed middle and high school students about body confidence at an event promoting her new book, Take Up Space, Y’all. She also highlighted challenges faced by plus-size models amid rising use of GLP-1 weight loss medications, stating that “thinness is in” while body positivity is increasingly marginalized.