An artist from Chattanooga, Tennessee, expressed her frustration with fellow airline passengers who commented on her slim physique. Tabitha Arnold, a self-identified Democratic Socialist, voiced her concerns on social media, capturing the attention of a large audience.

On Wednesday, Arnold shared her dismay on X, criticizing the remarks she received from travelers who expressed relief at being seated next to someone of her size. In her post, which has since been removed, the 30-year-old questioned the appropriateness of such comments.

“I’ve been on several flights lately where fellow passengers in my row say, ‘It’s so nice to be seated next to a ~small~ person,'” she shared. “I’m not sure how to convey that they should keep those thoughts to themselves.”

Arnold further commented that those making such remarks should reconsider their internal biases, particularly in defense of larger passengers who often face discomfort and judgment during flights in economy class.

Before the post was taken down on Sunday morning, it had amassed over 6.1 million views and nearly 500 comments, sparking significant online discourse.

The Daily Mail has contacted Arnold for comment.  

Arnold is no stranger to speaking her mind online as she often shares her political views on her social media platforms. She recently created new t-shirt designs for Democratic Socialists of America – a political organization headquartered in New York City.

The activist, who is a fan of the Big Apple’s Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani, is known for making tapestries that ‘reflect coming of age during a new wave of unionization in the United States,’ according to her website.

Arnold’s online comment came just a day after she attended a remembrance event honoring the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro

She shared her fury over other passengers being pleased when they see that they are sitting next to someone thin on board flights, and that the same thing has happened to her on ‘multiple flights’ 

The stories depicted in her works of art include ‘Bible Belt spirituality, social-realist propaganda, and ancient art motifs to create new historical artifacts from a working-class perspective.’ 

Arnold’s online comment came just a day after she attended a remembrance event honoring the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro. 

Castro led the Caribbean country from 1959 to 2008, and became an infamous figure over his political career as many believe he was a dangerous dictator who destroyed Cuba after establishing it as a one-party communist state. 

During the event, Arnold reminisced on her participation in the 2025 May Day Brigade – when people make a series of trips to Cuba to commemorate Castro and support the Cuban Revolution. 

The event took place from April 25 to May 10, 2025.  

According to a Substack post she made on May 20, Arnold traveled to Cuba and witnessed the massive gathering herself. 

She wrote: ‘I tried to remember the last time I had seen so many people in the streets. I recalled the George Floyd uprising in Philadelphia, or maybe the night the Eagles won the Super Bowl; but this gathering had none of the anger of a protest or the hedonism of celebrating the birds.

Democratic socialist activist Tabitha Arnold (middle) took to X on Wednesday to complain about her biggest pet peeve while flying on airplanes 

Arnold said she is appalled by the comments fellow passengers have made to her about her physical appearance (stock image)

The activist, who is a fan of the Big Apple’s Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani, is known for making tapestries that ‘reflects coming of age during a new wave of unionization in the United States’

‘There was only the loving, cathartic energy of International Workers Day: a time to remember the struggles of the labor movement, the workers who shaped our world and who continue to carry it forward.’ 

While at the remembrance event for Castro, the artist shared how her trip there impacted her, stating: ‘I am here to support Cuban liberation and ending the blockade on the Cuban people. And celebrating Fidel’s death anniversary at the embassy, and I made a tapestry to commemorate my visit to Cuba on the 2025 May Day Brigade.’ 

Wednesday marked the nine-year anniversary of Castro’s death, who passed on November 25, 2016 at the age of 90 from natural causes. 

‘I was really moved by my visit to Cuba as a labor organizer, seeing what it looks like for a state to truly be organized around the needs of working people, and where people are Democratically involved in their own lives and their own futures,’ Arnold continued. 

‘I really believe that Cuba can be a north star for American workers. We [Americans] have our own struggles for liberation.’