Southwest Airlines just announced: plus-size passengers will be required to buy two seats.

On the surface, it sounds fair. But underneath, it opens a floodgate of emotions, shame, and lived experiences that most people don’t see. This isn’t just about flying—it’s about dignity, space, and what it feels like when your body doesn’t fit in the world around you.

Side One: The Airline

Airlines run on math.

Seats are small because space = money. Luggage that’s too heavy costs more. Seats that take up extra space? Now they’ll cost more too. Planes have strict weight requirements, safety balances, and fuel limits.

From their side, the rule makes sense:

One seat. One body. If you don’t fit, buy two.

Side Two: The Passenger Who Paid for Comfort

Then there’s the person sitting next to you. She paid hundreds of dollars for her seat too. She didn’t pay to spend the next three hours leaning into the aisle, shoulders squished, unable to breathe.

It’s not cruelty. It’s not judgment. It’s a reality: everyone deserves the space they paid for.

Side Three: The Plus-Size Passenger

And then… there’s the side that shatters me—because I lived it.

I remember walking down the aisle of an airplane at my heaviest. My heart racing. My prayer on repeat:

Please let the belt click. Please don’t let anyone sit next to me. Please don’t notice how much space I take.

And when they did sit down? The shift. The sigh. The unspoken look that said: you don’t belong here.

It wasn’t just in my head. The armrests dug into my sides. My thighs spilled over. I pressed into the person next to me, and no matter how much I shrank inside, my body wouldn’t shrink on the outside.

The humiliation wasn’t just emotional. It was physical. My body didn’t fit.

And it wasn’t just planes. At concerts. At plays. Walking toward a row of narrow seats, I would feel the tears rising. Because it wasn’t about being bullied—it was about being trapped in a body that simply didn’t fit.

The Roller Coaster I Never Rode

The worst? My son once asked me to go to the amusement park. He wanted me to ride the roller coasters with him.

And I told him no.

Not because I didn’t want to. Not because I didn’t love him. But because I knew I wouldn’t fit.

I couldn’t face a teenage worker pushing down on the safety bar, shaking their head, and saying, “Sorry, it won’t close. You’re too big.”

So I said no to my son. And shame stole a memory we should have had together.

That moment broke me.

Why I Changed

That day, I realized: it wasn’t just about missing a seat on a plane. I was missing life.

So I changed. I lost 130 pounds. Not for vanity. Not to be “skinny.” But for freedom. Freedom to sit without shame. To buckle the seatbelt. To walk into concerts and plays without fear. To ride the roller coaster and say YES to my son.

And now, I help women do the same. Because no one should have to live under the crushing weight of shame—whether it’s in an airplane, a theater, or a theme park.

The Whole Truth

The Airline has a business to run. The Passenger deserves the space they paid for. The Plus-Size Traveler carries a pain no policy can measure.

All three sides are true. All three deserve empathy.

But here’s the bigger truth: you don’t have to stay in this story.

You can change. I did.

If you’ve ever cried on an airplane, turned down a concert, or told your child “no” because your body wouldn’t fit—please hear me: you don’t have to live this way.

I’ve been there. I know the shame. I know the fear. And I know the way out.

That’s why I created my Essentials Coaching Program—to help women lose weight, heal their bodies, and finally break free from the chains of food addiction and shame.

👉 If this blog hit you in the gut, don’t wait. Click here to join the Essentials Program today.

Because life is too short to keep saying no. It’s time to start saying YES.

💛 Monica Boyer

Keto & Food Addiction Recovery Coach

“I lost 130 pounds and I’ll show you how to break free too.”