A pregnant wellness influencer said she felt disrespected when a male flight attendant wouldn't lift her nine-pound carry-on bag into the overhead compartment for her.
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The Influencer Said She Was "Shocked" Over the Incident
Australian model and influencer Dominique Elissa said she was "shocked" by the incident on last week's episode of the podcast Big Small Talk.
"I was on a flight the other day. I asked the flight attendant, 'Can you please put my bag above my head, like, I'm pregnant,'" Elissa told host Sarah Jane Adams.
She added, "And the flight attendant said, 'If you can't lift—,' he didn't lift it up. He goes, 'I can't help you, sorry.' Yeah, he said, 'I can't help you.' It was a man... And then I said, 'Well, I'm actually pregnant. I'd really appreciate it if you could help me because last time I injured myself.'
"He goes, 'Well, if you're not able to lift your bag above your head, you have to check it in.' And it wasn't a big bag."
Elissa Said the Incident Made Her Feel There Was a "Lack of Respect" for Pregnant Women
Elissa said the incident made her feel like there was a "lack of respect" for pregnant women. However, many flight attendants explained in the comments that they aren't allowed to lift passengers' bags.
"The reason why is because we're technically not on the clock until the boarding door closes so if we get hurt while boarding, we don't get workers comp... sorry," one explained.
Other social media users were split on what Elissa should have done in the situation.
"You literarily just said you got injured lifting your own bag," one user wrote. "If you can't handle your own carry on, check your bag (it's free). Also, pregnancy is not a disability."
Another woman disagreed, saying, "OMGoodness!!! If I was there I would have jumped up at 64 and lifted it for you!!! How shameful!! I'm certain it wasn't 35lbs like my 3yo grandson."
You can watch the clip below.
