A plus-size influencer tried to educate viewers on seatbelt extenders. Instead, they criticized her

• TikToker Samyra Miller shared her experience asking for a seatbelt extender on a plane.
• She received a wave of comments criticizing her delivery and commenting on her size.
• Plus-size influencers in the past have faced judgment and criticism when discussing travel difficulties.

A TikToker posted a video showing part of her experience flying as a plus-size woman, but the response she received further highlighted the extent of the anti-fat bias she faces.

Samyra Miller is a singer, activist, and recent Harvard graduate based in New Orleans, Louisiana. She's also a popular social media creator, with 166,000 followers on Instagram and 1.6 million on TikTok, where she calls out fashion brands for their lack of options for larger customers, soundtracked by her original song "Plus Size Freestyle."

On December 19, she posted a video showing herself asking Delta airline staff for a seatbelt extender. While waiting for a response, she suggested she was concerned she wouldn't be given one and would have to fly unbuckled. She showed footage of the existing belt that didn't fit her, and said was the shortest she'd ever seen.

Cuz i was for sure goin go unbuckled @delta do yall see how short that belt was 🥴🥴

The video went viral, receiving 3.4 million views and over 5,000 comments. While many expressed sympathy and shared similar stories of having to ask for extenders due to short belts on planes, others were more judgmental, suggesting she should lose weight and berating her for her phrasing, specifically the fact that she didn't say "please."

On December 23, Miller posted a response to one such comment. It is no longer available to view, but Miller said it had received almost 19,000 likes.

"Almost 19,000 of you all are more concerned with the delivery of my request than the delivery of my belt extender," she said, and referenced comments that made assumptions about her health due to her size. "You should also be concerned about my health and safety on an aircraft," she said.

Miller went on to say that she frequently receives comments about her delivery whenever she posts about issues affecting plus-size people.

"I'm never 'passionate' like my other counterparts. I'm 'loud,' I'm 'angry,' I'm 'entitled,' I have 'audacity.' Because who am I, as a fat, Black woman to have wants? To have desires? To have dreams?" she said. "You want us to shrink ourselves so bad, and for what?"

Replying to @senorita awesome😝😎💖 i hope this is clear enough for y’all to understand.

The video didn't go anywhere near as viral as her original, receiving just 190,000 views, but Miller received a lot of support in the comments. People called her inspiring and pushed back on the idea that she had been rude, calling such accusations "tone policing," a microaggression often experienced by Black women.

Miller is not the first influencer to share the difficulties of plane travel for plus-size passengers. TikToker Jae'lynn Chaney began posting advice on the topic in 2021 after realizing there was scant information available for larger travelers. She told Business Insider in April that she'd received a huge amount of criticism, judgment, and offensive comments in response.

Chaney has also campaigned for free extra seats for travelers who need them due to their size. Such a policy is already enforced by Southwest Airlines, drawing praise from Chaney and others for its inclusivity.

Samyra Miller did not immediately respond to BI's request for comment.

Watch: This plus-size influencer wants to change the way people feel about their bodies

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o8HSoqWeq6Oeu7S1w56pZ5ufony0rcyyqZplnZ65rbHRZqCnnpyqsq%2BvxKtknKqZqbaktdKmZJqhoqW5orrEZqqemaSXsq3AjJ6vrZ2embKzedGeqqmnnqiybn6Pa2tmaQ%3D%3D