The Holiday season brings with it lots of stressful travel experiences, but in the last 2 weeks SmartFem has noticed some new stories on the tarmac that have created quite a commotion in our own newsroom.

During our weekly meeting at SmartFem, our editor in Chief, Lea Woodford, opened the morning meeting dialog by talking about Ivanka Trump. SmartFem has been very open about our opposition to Trump and his sexist ways, but as a feminist magazine we were conflicted.

Last week Ivanka Trump was flying and came under attack, she wasn’t safe during her flight, leading to controversy. As feminist’s we set aside our political view of her father, and sided with her on this issue.

The News meeting allowed other SmartFem writers to chime in about equality and feminism when it comes to flying, and we found that in the last month several unique experiences have occurred on American airlines where equality and feminism came into perspective. Making us wonder, discover, and question…

Is equality possible on an airplane?

Explore with is these 3 equine circumstances and how they relate to feminism, equality and your personal freedom.

As always, let us know your opinions in the comments below.

2) Politicians and Feminism

Let’s begin with the story that opened up our own newsroom dialog, Ivanka Trump.

On December 22nd she was on a plane, when a passenger on the flight became increasingly upset by her presence.

According to CNN’s report, the man saw Mrs. Trump and said, “You ruined our country. Now you’re ruining our flight.”

The man, was later removed from the flight by Jetblue, after Ivanka and Family’s safety came into question.

After this story broke, many Anti Trump activists came out and said Ivanka should have left the flight, not the protester. This is where I tend to disagree.

Yes he had a first amendment right, and in my opinion should have said his piece and sat down, but what’s wrong about this issue is that because of her Father’s involvement in uncivil issues, Ivanka is now being treated uncivilly

That is where I draw the line, just because she belongs to a different party does not mean she can be treated badly. Truly a feminist must realize equality means treating everyone with the respect and dignity they deserve, regardless of political affiliation or political agenda.

2) Speaking Another Language and Feminism 

Additionally, YouTube star Adam Saleh filmed his own in flight debacle as Delta Air Lines kicked him off a flight for allegedly speaking Arabic.

According to Saleh’s twitter, “”Delta airlines kicked us out for speaking Arabic to my mom on a plane.”

This issue has a muddy background, and we at SmartFem don’t want to debate the legal issues of the flight, but we do want to talk about the ethical and moral ones.

How does someone being kicked off a flight for speaking Arabic relate to Feminism? In a lot of ways! Again, it’s all about equality, and feminism means that women and men, and people of any color are given the same freedoms. Yes feminism looks at life through the lens of women’s inequality, but sometimes that ability to see inequalities can be translated into other issues.

Think for one moment, if Saleh were an Irish Man, speaking to his family back home. Would that raise any suspicion or alarm? No.

Equality means you are given those rights, and for some reason feminism and equality are being pushed aside when it comes to airplanes.

Let’s stop that, and try as feminist to stand up for quality in every way we can, even airplanes.

3) Plus Size Bodies and Feminism

“Flying While Fat” is an animated short by Stacy Bias, partially funded by the University of Liverpool in collaboration with Dr. Bethan Evans. The story is an educational journey voiced by overweight air passengers and their perspectives and experiences of flying while fat. This animated documentary offers the unique comments of individuals whose perspectives are often overlooked in our society.

One woman notes that, “I really love flying, and my only stress, in relation to flying, comes from interaction with other people.”

The animation takes you on a woman’s hostile, straining, and often painful journey of flying with other, not so understanding passengers.

She notes that the idea of worth, and an individual’s right to take up space, plays a role into the acceptance of overweight individuals on flights.

In general our culture has a strong social correlation behind worth and right to space. Without addressing the deep sociological issues on those who are overweight, in this 6 minute documentary, there is room for thought. Overall, there needs to be a shift toward the idea that we are all worthy to take up space. Regardless of your weight, everyone on the plane has a right to be there.

Here are some of the easy solutions presented in the short, and then we’re clear to take off.

  • First, be mindful of people’s space.
  • Please note that we are in this together.
  • It benefits everyone to safety, get from point A point B, without being harassed.

Simply put. We all have a right to fly, so why not do so respectfully. It will be a better journey for all.