A fat influencer who has asked regular travelers to subsidize free extra seats for plus-size travelers has flown without her oxygen tank for the first time in four years.
Jaelynn Chaney, known as Jae Bae, uploaded a video to her TikTok channel that shows her proudly sitting on a flight without her respirator.
He explained to his followers that he had previously needed supplemental air to ensure he could breathe comfortably in the plane’s pressurized cabin.
At one point in the video, Chaney lifts his seat belt and smiles as he demonstrates how far it is extended.
Chaney, whose TikTok account has more than 135,000 followers, narrates his concerns as a plus-size steering wheel in the background of the video.
Dramatic music plays and Chaney ponders: ‘What if I have a medical emergency on the plane?’
Jaelynn Chaney, known as Jae Bae, uploaded a video to her TikTok channel in which the plus-size influencer proudly flies without her portable oxygen tank for the first time in four years.
Then he asks, ‘What happens if I cause an emergency landing?’
But she stops and announces: ‘No, forget it. No matter what they say or what it seems, traveling is for everyone.’
The video then shows Chaney being carried through the airport gate and onto the plane.
Chaney is then shown in his seat, where he shows how much his seat belt has loosened.
The TikTok ends with a close-up of the plus-size influencer’s smiling face.
In his caption, Chaney explains the context of his flight and tells how for the past four years he has relied on “supplementary oxygen” when flying.
“It all started in 2019, after a hospital stay where they suspected he had suffered a stroke,” Chaney wrote.
‘It turns out that it was pulmonary hypertension and since then I needed oxygen therapy. Traveling was no longer the same.’
Chaney explained in the video’s caption that he had been traveling with an oxygen machine since doctors at a hospital suspected he had suffered a stroke.
The plus-size influencer, who has more than 135,000 followers on TikTok, has previously called on the FAA to provide overweight people with up to three free seats when they fly.
He said he went “from chasing waterfalls in Hawaii” to “everything being so different.”
After conducting intense research, the influencer found portable oxygen concentrators.
“I shared my discoveries online, thinking this was going to be my new normal.”
But Chaney considered portable oxygen concentrators “not a walk in the park.”
He said using the device was “expensive, stressful and downright terrifying.”
Her recent flight marked the first time in four years that she flew without an oxygen concentrator, an experience that made her “anxious and scared.”
‘But guess that? I did it and it turned out better than I could have imagined,” she wrote triumphantly.
TikTok commenters praised the plus-size influencer.
One wrote: “What a brave hero.”
And another enthusiastic: ‘Travel is for everyone!! I love this!!’
One user offered some insightful advice: ‘I lost 80 pounds and it helped me breathe so much better!’
The reach of Chaney’s TikTok isn’t limited to plus-size affairs. He also uploads content related to her polyamorous lifestyle.
In a TikTok titled ‘Plus Size, Polyamorous, and Queer,’ the influencer uploaded a clip of her and her partner kissing in a hot tub.
Text appears on the screen that says, “When you’re ride or die but you’re polyamorous and also want a boyfriend.”
Chaney, who has collaborated with companies ranging from Google to McDonalds, has also used his TikTok to advocate for a petition he launched calling for the FAA to provide free extra seats to plus-size travelers.
“Join my petition asking the FAA to require all airlines to have an official written size customer policy for plus-size travelers.”
The petition states that, due to their size, plus-size passengers should be provided with up to three additional free seats.
Chaney’s TikTok also explores his polyamorous lifestyle. The influencer has collaborated with companies ranging from Google to McDonalds
“Under this policy, employees must be trained to handle sensitive situations and provide appropriate customer service.”
The petition currently has about 39,000 signatures.
Speaking about the petition, Chaney said:
‘We are not asking for special treatment or luxury accommodation. We simply want enough space to travel comfortably and safely without fear of being discriminated against because of our size.’