As a working mother and wife, Savannah Phillips had her share of challenges, but she overcame them to produce a viable career and contribute to her family’s wellbeing. Unfortunately, she also had her own limitations that were all to vivid in her mind, especially as she found herself traveling more and more due to her work. The simple fact was, Savannah was a larger woman. And while in most cases that was not an issue, the condition created particular issues for her when flying. Because of her size, Savannah regular chose seats without people next to her, but it wasn’t always available.

Living With Weight

Savannah had never been a slim person. Her entire life involved reactions and problems associated with her weight. Social teasing and awkward interactions were a common issue, and Savannah knew it was because of her size. Socially, life in the U.S. had no place for overweight people yet, ironically, plus size was becoming more and more common decade after decade. But that didn’t do much good for Savannah. Regardless of her skills and knowledge, she regularly had to fend off the first reaction to her appearance. It was practically expected and automatic, even in her career world.

Stuck on a Flight

Travel by plane was always Savannah’s last choice. She would drive when possible, but it was more than occasionally not practical. And that meant she had to struggle with the typical tight aircraft seat that was never designed for her as a passenger. Where possible, she compensated by finding seats towards the back or flying at times with less passengers, i.e. off hours. The whole point was to avoid confrontation and being packed in next to someone who would react to her size.

Not Always Lucky

On one particular flight the worst-case scenario happened. Her flight was at full capacity. As Savannah reach the flight gate the horrible feeling of being cramped was already tingling up her neck. There was not going to be any options for separate seating. Savannah was guaranteed to be sitting next to someone on the flight. She tried to finagle some kind of exception, practically begging the flight attendant at the gate with her eyes, but there wasn’t going to be a decent flight this time. And Savannah was already starting to feel some of the other passengers looking at her.

Just Get Through It

Savannah buckled herself down mentally to just get through the flight. The sooner she got on the plane, got through the flight and off, the sooner she would be on the ground and away from the confinement. She got on the plane, found her seat, and tried to settle in. But the whole time her anxiety was getting the better of her. It wasn’t unfounded. The older man who had to get up to let her have the window seat was already showing physical discomfort with her presence. He made a louder than normal sigh at being put out with Savannah sitting in his row.

Everyone Was Watching

The older man was clearly the type that Savannah hated to be around. These were people who always went a step further with their dislike of plus size people, making their opinions know as if entitled. While Savannah tried to focus on settling in, she noted the man was working on his phone. He had adjusted the settings to improve the clarity, and the font was increased to large size. The phone was also tilted at an angle that it would be impossible for Savannah to miss it. She realized, shockingly, he was using the phone this way on purpose. Savannah was already cringing, but what the man didn’t know was that his audience was more than just Savannah.

What Are You Doing

Finally Savannah put the man on the spot and asked him what he was doing. The man feigned innocence. He mumbled something about his eyesight and needing to zoom in to see what he was writing to a friend. She knew immediately the old man was lying, but it didn’t matter. He kept tapping away, and the message was visible to Savannah. The words might as well have been a fork in his hand stabbing her arm. She immediately tried to lean away and look out the plane window, but it didn’t matter. The old man already achieved what he wanted.

A Real Life Bully

The attempts to increase his phone screen size and tilting of his phone was blatant and obvious now. The message was clear, visible and meant for her as much as for whoever he was typing and sending it to. The words he typed were, “sitting next to a smelly fatty”, and the “fatty” was obviously Savannah. Every nightmare, insult, teasing, and bullying she ever suffered in her younger life came back to Savannah in that moment. The bully was smirking. However, it wasn’t going to last long. Suddenly, Savannah heard another voice. The old man was tapped on the shoulder. “I need to speak to you, now.”

A Helpful Hand When Needed

The old man was startled by the interruption. This was not how he thought his little joke was going to go. The man who tapped the old man on the shoulder, Chase Irwin, made it clear he was not negotiating or asking for a favor. “We’re switching seats. Now.” The old was caught off guard and spinning backwards mentally; he agreed immediately and complied. Chase put himself in the seat next to Savannah and started to speak to her while she was crying from the mental attack she had just suffered.

Recovery

As the plane trip continued, Savannah continued a conversation with Chase. Savannah was so thankful someone stood up for her, and it was obvious Chase was just doing the right thing. In the talk that lasted the flight Savannah learned about Chase’s background, his job, and his kids too. By the time they were on the ground again, Savannah felt like she had just experienced a total life turnaround. And she needed to tell folks she knew about it. Unfortunately, Chase was gone after debarking, so all she had was social media.

Posting on Facebook

The post that spread like wildfire as soon as Savannah put it up started off simple enough. “”I am only sharing this story of what happened to me today in hopes that the person who stuck up for me will somehow be recognized…” Her story continued…”We sat on the runway waiting for the OK to take off for about 10 minutes – I sat there unable to stop silently crying. I was scrunching myself up against the wall as far as I could. The guy next to me takes out his headphones. Someone behind us says, ‘We are switching seats. Now.’ The guy next to me said, “OK- why?” And I hear someone say (removing curse words), “You are texting about her, and I’m not putting up with that.”

The Post Rang Around the World

Savannah’s story didn’t take long to get virtual legs and run. It was shared and reposted again and again repeatedly. Many users didn’t just stop with their disgust with the old man and his pettiness. They also made a point to reinforce Savannah had nothing to be ashamed about. They were also very appreciative of Chase and his actions.

Finding the Man

The Internet is an amazing thing when it crowdsources thousands of brainpower points. Chase Irwin was located very quickly as a result. He was found by his occupation, working as a manager at Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row restaurant, neatly parked in Nashville, TN. Both the restaurant and Chase started realize the power of a viral movement. Their website was overwhelmed with well-wishers, and the local media picked up on the story fairly quick.

Character Embodied

When he was interviewed, Chase made it clear getting his name on TV was never the intent of his actions. Instead, something inside him as a person said he needed to act when he saw the words the old man was writing on his phone. Originally, Chase thought he was just going to make a point after the flight was over. However, when he saw the old man was making fun of Savannah, Chase felt he had to act. Her crying put him over the top.

Watching the Whole Time

Chase was immediately aware of the problem Savannah was dealing with as soon as she arrived at her seat. He practically had a front row audience spot, watching the behavior of the old man and how it was visibly affecting her. Then he saw the phone texting and the vicious message the man thought he could get away with. As he saw Savannah lean away, Chase knew it was time to do something.

Pettiness in Digital Form

The old man’s message wasn’t just one sentence. He was pouring out the hate as he typed his text in full view of Savannah. “Hey babe, sitting next to a smelly fatty. She’s overflowing over my armrest. I think I’m going to be sick!” Chase could also see Savannah being crushed and starting to tear up.

Phones Everywhere

The old man wasn’t the only one who was on his phone. Chase was as well, video-recording the man and what he had done. ‘This guy, prob mid-50s just text his wife that he is sitting next to a smelly fatty and was about to vomit. I watched her read his text and is now looking sad.” Chase literally documented the decision he had to make in that moment as well. “Should I… just say something when landing?” It didn’t take long for him to react.

Different Roads

Savannah and Chase never met again, but in her own interview Savannah did make a point that she forgave the hate from the old man on the plane. She also never really tried to maintain any connection with Chase, only knowing him as the man who helped on that plane ride when it seemed like trip from hell. But posting the story she did want everyone to know what he did and how standing up for others can mean so much. Between them both, their story has added more to why body-shaming is so wrong, and increased people’s awareness as a result.