A Brazilian woman who went viral in December for refusing to give a crying child her plane seat has taken over the internet once again, and she’s spoken out about why she’s really suing in a new interview.
Jeniffer Castro wouldn’t give her pre-booked seat to a toddler who was crying because he wanted to look out the window and a video of the incident, which was filmed by a fellow passenger on the flight, got millions of views online.
The 29-year-old was just a normal bank employee from Belo Horizonte, but got turned into a massive influencer overnight, and she’s now got a whopping 2.1 million Instagram followers.
In a new interview with The Mirror, Castro opened up about the effects, saying: “What should have been just an ordinary flight turned into an extremely embarrassing situation, exposing me unfairly and causing consequences that affected both my personal and professional life. I was the target of judgments, attacks, and speculation from people who don’t even know the full story.”
“I decided to sue the airline because what happened to me was a huge embarrassment, and this situation should never have reached this point,” she continued.
“No one deserves to go through what I went through, being filmed, insulted, and attacked just for exercising a basic right. This lawsuit is not just about reparations, but also about setting a limit on this type of behavior. We all have rights, and they must be respected, regardless of other people’s opinions.”
@antenasulfm
TODOS COM JENNIFER CASTRO! Jennifer Castro se tornou o assunto do momento nesta quarta-feira (4), depois de viralizar em um vídeo onde foi filmada e insultada por outra passageira em um avião. O motivo? Ela não quis trocar de lugar com uma criança que queria sentar na janela. Com a repercussão, Jennifer recebeu uma onda de apoio e compartilhou em seu Instagram uma montagem que a retrata como uma rainha, usando a hashtag TODOSCOMJENNIFERCASTRO.
Quem nunca defendeu o seu lugar com garra? E você, trocaria de lugar ou ficaria firme como a Jennifer? #JenniferCastro #Trending #TodosComJennifer #Viral #AntenaSulFM
“We gathered all the necessary evidence and took the appropriate measures against whoever filmed me. There is no action against the child’s mother, only against those who violated my privacy.”
Castro said her life has dramatically changed since the incident, revealing she no longer works in banking and didn’t even want to leave the house at the height of the backlash.
Recalling what actually happened, she explained that when she got on the plane, the child was in her seat. She waited for him to move and sat down, but the child kept crying throughout the flight and asking to sit there.
“What surprised me was the fact that a person who had nothing to do with the situation started filming me without permission, insulting me and trying to publicly embarrass me simply because I didn’t want to change seats,” she said.
The influencer still thinks she was in the right to keep her seat, but respects that “each person has their own opinion”.
The Tab reached out to GOL Airlines and they declined to comment.
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Featured image by: jeniffercastro/Instagram
