Nowadays, many people let themselves be influenced by the unattainable canons of beauty established
by social media: thanks to filters, make-up and lighting effects, everyone looks «perfect» and in good
physical shape, but the reality is quite different. However, this distorted perception has also influenced
certain types of people, causing them to treat those who do not reflect these canons differently.

A blatant example of this type of behavior was shown by airline staff, who were ordered to compensate
a plus-size model after she explained that the staff had made her feel «like a monster». The woman at
the center of this misadventure is Juliana Nehme, a 38-year-old Brazilian model. The woman said staff at
the airline she was supposed to be traveling on prevented her from boarding a flight from Beirut to
Doha because she was ‘guilty’ of being overweight: ‘Instead of me to offer a refund of 940 euros on my
ticket, they asked me for an additional 3,000 euros for a seat in first class, to have bigger seats, it was as
if I was not a human being for them. I was a monster that couldn’t get on board,» she said.

Juliana was traveling with her mother and so the two women missed their flight. This made the 38-year-
old even sadder and she also started to feel guilty: «I even asked my mum for forgiveness several times. I
said, ‘Mom, forgive me, because my height kept you from coming home.’ And she said it wasn’t my
fault,» she added. Once back home, Juliana filed a lawsuit against the airline, which was ordered to pay
her for psychotherapy sessions to overcome the humiliation she had suffered.
The company will pay him for a weekly visit the sum of 70 euros for a period of at least one year, ie a
total compensation of 3,500 euros. Judge Renata Martins de Carvalho said that «the granting of urgent
psychological assistance is a reasonable and proportionate measure to ensure that the stressful and
traumatic event is overcome».

The airline said it had not yet received any official communication about the decision: «However, if
necessary, any clarification will be promptly provided to the relevant authorities. We take this
opportunity to reassure our customers that that the company treats all passengers with respect and
dignity, and in accordance with aviation industry practices and regulations,» a spokesperson said.

In Juliana’s place, how would you have reacted?