DALLAS, TEXAS: An American Airlines gate agent reportedly prevented a bodybuilder and fitness model from boarding a flight on Thursday, July 8 at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport because she was dressed skimpily
The agent reportedly told Deniz Saypinar: “Hey, you can’t go to the plane, because you’re naked.” But she was not “naked” - she was wearing shorts and a sporty top. Ironically, the model had reportedly moved to the US to avoid the conservative surroundings in her homeland.
American Airlines, following the model raising a hue and cry on social media, said, “On July 8, American Airlines denied boarding for a customer traveling from Dallas-Fort Worth to Miami. As stated in the conditions of carriage, all customers must dress appropriately and offensive clothing isn’t permitted on board our flights.” Those conditions, as per CBS News, only say customers must “dress appropriately; bare feet or offensive clothing aren’t allowed.”
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Who is Deniz Saypinar?
Saypinar, as per her website, is a “Professional Active Bikini Competitor”, a “Personal Coach”, and a “Life Coach”. She also has her personal sports product company. She was also the first woman in Turkey to ever receive an IFBB (International Federation of BodyBuilders) status. “I can literally say that sport saved my life,” she writes on her website. “My childhood was so hard and my parents were working when I was a child. Their issues were affecting me deeply and that was causing mental pressure on me.”
The 26-year-old bodybuilder, following her encounter at the Texas airport, took to social media to share her ordeal with her one million Instagram followers. She said, “You will never believe what happened to me at Texas Airport.” The model claimed the flight attendants said her style “disturbed other families” at the airport. “I am not naked,” Saypinar said.
She said, “I was shaking, because I thought, ‘It’s not real what’s happening. I felt so panicked’,” adding that she put on a t-shirt but was still denied boarding on that flight and another. After waiting overnight at the airport, she said was eventually allowed to board on a third flight. She called it discrimination against women. “That’s why I moved to the United States. I have to be able to be myself and be free as a woman,’ she said.
Passengers said that they were unaware there even was a dress code. “I think if they’re going to have a dress code and not allow people to board, then they need to make it obvious. They should tell you upfront,” said Emma Christensen, a passenger, to CBS News.
Saypinar, on Instagram Stories, said, “I am an athlete, and now I have to wait here until the morning. I like to wear feminine clothes that reveal my femininity, but I never dress in a way that will offend anyone. I'm mature and civilized enough to know what I can and cannot wear.”
“I don't deserve to be treated like the worst person in the world for wearing denim shorts,” she said. “What separates us from animals if humans can't control even their most primitive impulses. I feel insulted. They wouldn't let me on the plane because I wore these shorts in the United States.”
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