A passenger of a JetBlue flight from Boston to Seattle says she was "body shamed" by the airline's staff, who asked her to cover up before she would be allowed on the plane.
Maggie McMuffin, a burlesque performer, was wearing a pair of short shorts and long socks when she attempted to board the flight and was stopped because of her outfit.
According to tweets she later sent to JetBlue, the airline staff told her to put something else on or re-book her flight because the pilot decided she couldn't go on the plane in what she was wearing.
Tying a sweater around her waist or covering her legs with a blanket was not an option, they told her, because her legs would still be visible walking through the aisle. Eventually, she found an airport retailer with a pair of pyjama bottoms she could put on, and was allowed to board.
Interestingly, McMuffin had no such trouble on her previous flight from New York to Boston.
@JetBlue Now I was fine on my previous flight. So I'm guessing these rules are subjective? I would hate to find out my favorite airline ...
— Maggie McMuffin (@MaggieMcMuff) May 18, 2016
@JetBlue Subscribes to such sexist ideals as preventing women from getting home because of how they dress. So maybe it's just this pilot.
— Maggie McMuffin (@MaggieMcMuff) May 18, 2016
According to Huffington Post, the airline said in a statement that the crew determined the short shorts could offend families.
"We support our crew members' discretion to make these difficult decisions, and we decided to reimburse the customer for the cost of the new shorts and offered a credit for future flight as a good will gesture," JetBlue said.
McMuffin has received support on social media, with many users pointing out the hypocrisy of the decision.
Coverage coverage: Look @MaggieMcMuff! Your shorts, indecent for plane, were ok to broadcast on TVs at the airport. pic.twitter.com/QV0rbi8Yv8
— Jonny Porkpie (@jonnyporkpie) May 31, 2016
@maggiemcmuff was denied access on @JetBlue because of her shorts length. Solidarity, flying like this.Thanks @Delta pic.twitter.com/FoLA9FblQs
— Pamela Wiznitzer (@PamelaWiznitzer) May 28, 2016