Jeniffer Castro, the banker who appears in a video that went viral on social media last week being harassed by a passenger during a flight, published a statement on her Instagram on Monday (9) saying that she has been without sleep and food since the beginning of the controversy. At the time, she did not agree to give up the seat to a child.
The Minas Gerais native has gained more than two million followers and already advertises for famous brands, such as retailer Magalu. In a statement, Jeniffer stated that “she is not well”. On social media, she was also questioned about the answers she gave during interviews with television programs. In her participation in the Meeting with Patrícia Poeta, on TV Globo, on Friday (6), she did not explain that the child’s mother was not responsible for harassing, filming and publicizing the case.
According to Jeniffer, there was a “technical failure” in her participation in the Encontro com Patrícia Poeta program, on TV Globo and, therefore, she would not have heard the presenter’s question.
“Since the incident, I haven’t been sleeping, I haven’t been eating, I haven’t been well for days. I came here to talk about Friday’s program, there were technical talks and that’s why I didn’t answer the question. If I had really listened, of course I would have responded”, said the girl from Minas Gerais. “I never imagined in my life that I would have to come here and make a video speaking. I’m not one to talk.”
On the TV program, the journalist asked Jeniffer, in the middle of her report, if the child’s mother was the author of the video. Jeniffer did not answer the question, just continued telling what happened and calling the person responsible for the video a “woman”. On Sunday (8), on Fantástico, the child’s mother criticized the Minas Gerais native’s stance for not denying that she was the author of the video, as many people had been saying on social media. She also reported the threats that her family began to suffer because of the story.
“Since the video went viral on the neighboring network, I have been responding to your comments saying that it is not the mother, so several people know. It took me a while to speak because I wasn’t well, because of the embarrassment I experienced on the plane”, said Jeniffer now.
Understand the case
A video of Jeniffer Castro being harassed on a plane after refusing to give up her seat to a crying child wanting her seat went viral on social media last week, directly affecting the lives of the four women involved: Jeniffer, the author of the video , the child’s mother and the daughter of the author of the video, who posted it on social media.
The video was posted by the daughter of nutritionist Eluciana Cardoso with a tone of indignation at Jeniffer’s behavior. “And my mother found someone with no empathy for children,” wrote the young woman on the @marycomciencia profile on Tiktok, which was later deactivated. But, to her surprise, the post generated a storm of comments in defense of Jeniffer and condemning the behavior of the author of the video.
In the recording, Eluciana shows Jeniffer’s face without permission and complains about a “lack of empathy”. “She refuses to change a child who is nervous because she doesn’t want to change places. I even asked if she had a syndrome, something, because if a person has a problem, a disability, we understand, but the person doesn’t want to change it for anything”, he says.
In the comments, internet users praised Jeniffer’s attitude and complained about the author of the video, assuming that she was the child’s mother. “People need to understand that no one is obliged to meet the wishes of other people’s children. If it’s her seat, she has the right not to want to change it,” wrote a Tiktok user.
Internet users began calling Jeniffer the “airplane diva” and praising her calm posture amid the insults she received from the woman who filmed the video. The banker remained silent and wore headphones during practically the entire confusion. When he replied to the woman, he spoke in a low tone. It was not possible to hear what she said. “When I grow up, I want to be calm like this woman,” wrote one internet user.
In interviews with Rede Globo, the women later clarified that the author of the video was not the child’s mother, Aline Rizzo, who had been suffering insults and threats on social media due to the controversy. Eluciana apologized and said she was sorry for having filmed Jeniffer. “I completely lost my control,” he said.
According to Jeniffer and Aline, the child, a 4-year-old boy, had mistakenly sat in Jeniffer’s seat, which was next to his grandmother’s seat. When the girl from Minas Gerais arrived on the plane, she explained that that was her seat and Aline took her son out, sitting him next to her, in the window on the left side row. The child did not cry at this time.
When Jeniffer sat down in her seat, a man who was in the aisle, next to the child’s grandmother, asked Jeniffer if she could change seats with him. He would take the child’s place and the boy would sit next to his grandmother. The girl from Minas Gerais refused the request, as she had bought the window seat and wanted to travel in it.
“When the flight attendant tells us to put on our seat belts to take off, he (the child) says, ‘it’s mine, I sat down first, the girl who told me to leave, the girl who took my seat’ (when listening to the conversation between the man and Jeniffer) and I say ‘no, son’. Then he starts (to cry)”, said Aline.
An uproar would have started among passengers on the plane, complaining about Jeniffer’s attitude for not agreeing to change seats with the child and making her cry. At that moment, Eluciana decides to get up from her seat and go to Jeniffer to ask her to change seats with the child. It is then that the discussion between them begins and the video is made.
The Brazilian aeronautical manual does not allow seat changes unless determined by the crew, who follow technical rules from the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac) for this. Passengers can even ask the crew for changes, but it is not possible to demand that they be accommodated or the exact places they want to fly, unless they purchase the seat on the airline’s website or counter.
Children, as well as people with disabilities who require support, such as autistic people with a high level of support, must sit accompanied by their father, mother or guardian. But the specific seat, whether in the window or not, can only be chosen by purchasing a seat.
This content was originally published in Woman says she can’t eat or sleep after refusing a seat on the plane: “I’m not well” on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m Robert Neff, a professional writer and editor. I specialize in the entertainment section, providing up-to-date coverage on the latest developments in film, television and music. My work has been featured on World Stock Market and other prominent publications.
