The 'passenger shaming' video clip of a six-toed passenger had an additional viral appeal. Photo / TikTok; reverseosmosis369
It was horror at 30,000 feet, with an added twist.
One antisocial plane passenger’s act was dubbed a ‘little extra’, after deciding to fly barefoot and proudly displaying a highly-unusual feature: a superfluous, sixth toe.
A TikTok video clipping from an unknown flight has spread disgust and intrigue, after being shared by vlogger @reverseosmosis360.
The video of the passenger’s bare left foot displaying an additional digit has been viewed 10 million times.
The practice of passengers flying barefoot, without socks is a divisive one. Social media videos on “passenger shaming” accounts of encounters with passengers indecent toe-exposure, or travellers being weirded out by proximity to other passengers’ stinky feet.
Last month a man shared footage of themselves pouring water onto another passenger’s toes encroaching on their personal space, via the Reddit channel ‘Mildly infuriating’.
Flying barefoot is an established faux pas for many travellers. However, this video clip has an additional something.
As the unknown passenger spreads his toes to get comfy - all eleven of them - the camera pans to show takeoff.
It was dubbed by some as a cinematic short masterpiece… claiming the vlogger “toetally nailed it”.
While some comments on the video blasted the passenger’s double whammy of grossness, others defended the unknown passenger. They said the video should not be used as a platform for “foot shaming.”
Flying barefoot, however, was inexcusable.
As one comment pointed out, it doesn’t matter how many toes you have, feet belong in socks.
“Ok to be fair, it’s probably so uncomfortable to wear shoes but man… bring some slippers or something. NO ONE should be dogs out on a plane.”
Even airlines put their foot down at bare toes.
Most carriers require passengers to wear covered shoes when flying.
Both Air New Zealand and Jetstar require passengers to wear footwear for embarking and disembarking. Their dress-codes claim that this is a safety measure for takeoff and landing, but neither explicitly say that footwear can’t be removed in-flight.
When there's nothing as far as the eye can see, you may appreciate the company.