A plus-size influencer has criticized Ryanair for having the ‘tightest bathroom’ she’s ever had to use in a travel vlog.
Australian creator Brooke Phoebe recently shared a TikTok video titled ‘Flying while fat,’ where she detailed every part of flying as a size 30-32 woman.
‘I show you everything — walking down the plane aisle, getting into my seat, the bathrooms… everything.’
“I flew with Ryanair, a budget airline here in the UK,” she explained in a voiceover.
The video started with Brooke walking down the narrow aisle to reach her assigned seat, “just to show big girls what it’s like to board the plane at the last minute.”
She advised fellow plus-size ‘girlies’ not to rush, noting that most passengers “take a while… to get settled into their seats.”
Brooke mentioned she chose a ‘two-seat configuration’ so there would be ‘no one sitting next to’ her and her travel companion.
She added that she was able to ‘spread out even more’ after her co-passenger moved to the row in front upon seeing it was completely empty.
A plus-size influencer has criticized Ryanair for having the ‘tightest bathroom’ she’s ever had to use, as shown in a travel vlog.
Australian content creator Brooke Phoebe recently shared a TikTok video titled ‘Flying while fat,’ where she detailed every aspect of flying as a size 30-32 woman.
“I get so many messages about using airplane bathrooms, and honestly, this was the tightest one I’ve ever experienced,” Brooke said.
She also shared her top tip for flying as a bigger woman: “I always recommend going to the bathroom as soon as boarding begins. That way, you’re less likely to need to use the bathroom on the plane.”
Brooke ended her video by encouraging other plus-size women who might feel self-conscious when traveling by public transport, saying, “You deserve to take up space in this world. Even on an airplane.”
While Brooke’s video received a lot of supportive comments on TikTok, some social media users criticized her, saying she should see the experience as a “wake-up call.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being a bit bigger or curvy,” one comment read. “But if this was consuming my life and worrying me, I’d think it’s time to do something about it. It can’t be comfortable.”
Another commenter said, “This should be a sign that now it’s time to change.”
A third added, “If this isn’t your wake-up call, I don’t know what is. You’re young—work on your fitness and health. You’ll thank me later.”
Brooke, who also posted the now-viral video on Instagram, responded to one such message that read:
“Why would you spend time making an Instagram page about how fat you are and not use that time to lose weight? You’re trying to make others think it’s okay to be this fat?”
Sharing a screenshot of the comment on her Instagram Stories, Brooke fired back: “I love wasting people’s time by just existing.”
Brooke’s vlog about flying with the budget airline comes three years after another plus-size influencer faced similar online trolling for complaining about Ryanair’s small seats and tiny toilets.
In April 2022, Kirsty Leanne from Shropshire posted a video of her flight with Ryanair from London Stansted to Hamburg. She revealed how she struggled to fit down the narrow aisle, couldn’t use the tray table due to lack of space, and barely had room to move inside the toilet cubicle.
In the viral TikTok clip, Kirsty shows her computer screen, where she had been assigned a middle aisle seat.
Brooke, who also shared the now-viral video on her Instagram account, responded to one negative comment, as shown in a screenshot she posted on her Instagram Story.
Her post highlighted how little space she had on the flight as she struggled to squeeze into the plane, and she also shared a photo of the seatbelt extender.
She posted a short clip attempting to use the tray table, which she called a ‘big fat no,’ and revealed how cramped the airplane bathroom cubicle was.
The clip, which has amassed over one million views, was captioned: ‘Flying Ryanair with no upgrades.’
Kirsty made headlines again when she said she was left with bruises after traveling on a National Express coach because of the seat size.
She later admitted that the flood of hateful comments under her vlogs on social media had started to ‘affect me,’ estimating she was receiving between 50 and 3,000 cruel messages daily at the time.
One comment read, ‘You don’t deserve to take up more space, and I will do what I can to make it as uncomfortable for you as possible.’
Another troll messaged, ‘Usually 300+ is stored under the plane.’
‘There hasn’t been a day in the last six weeks where I haven’t received a hate comment,’ Kirsty said at the time.
(Stock image) Brooke’s video started with footage of her walking down the narrow aisle to reach her assigned seat, “just to show big girls what it’s like to board the plane at the last minute.”
“It doesn’t bother me when I get one or two comments, but when they come in large numbers, it really starts to affect me.
“My whole business is about showing plus-size people that they don’t have to lose weight to enjoy themselves, and it can be hard to get that message across when I’m told daily that it’s not true.
“When things get really bad, I have to take myself offline for a break, but that’s difficult since my business depends on me being active on social media.
“The worst comments are the snap judgments about my lifestyle or those saying plus-size people don’t deserve the same treatment as straight-size people.
“It’s crazy that in 2022, people still hold these views about weight and weight gain.”
She said she mostly tries to shrug off the negativity but admitted that sometimes the hate does get to her.
“I know everyone reacts to hate comments differently. Some delete, block, and ignore them, while others choose to address them.
“I don’t think either approach is wrong—everyone processes things in their own way. From experience, I know how much they can consume you.”
