A viral video of a social media personality “sleeping” shirtless in Emirates’ business class cabin has reignited debates about inflight etiquette, influence culture, and what should be considered acceptable behavior at 30,000 feet.
Influencer Sleeps Shirtless In Emirates Business Class…And Yes, You Should Still Keep Your Shirt On
I’ve covered plenty of airline social media moments, some entertaining, some obnoxious, and some that spiral into internet outrage for reasons that feel disproportionate. The latest involves an influencer with a large following (I had never heard of him before, but thanks to One Mile At A Time for flagging) who posted a video that appears to show him waking up shirtless in Emirates’ Airbus A380 business class cabin as it approached Milan. Critics were predictably unkind, with the comments section filling with admonitions to put a shirt on.
@jpark_fit Horizontal 30,000ft in the sky is a W. #emirates #jparkfit #morningroutine
Let’s be clear: no matter how comfortable you are in your own skin, flying shirtless in a shared public space is not great etiquette. Even in business class, you’re surrounded by strangers with different sensitivities. There are safety considerations too. In the unlikely event of turbulence, hot liquids, or an emergency evacuation, exposed skin is more vulnerable. But this also isn’t the outrage of the century either.
The video itself is clearly crafted for content value. In it, the influencer narrates his “business class morning routine,” greeting cabin crew, freshening up, ordering breakfast, and relaxing before landing. Whether he actually spent hours shirtless asleep or just took it off briefly for filming isn’t really the point.
As One Mile At A Time noted, what is worth noting is that no one was harmed, no crew was disrupted on video, and at least from the available footage there was no glaring violation of safety protocols. Inflating this into a morality drama about airline etiquette says more about our collective frustration with influencer culture than it does about the specifics of this incident.
Still, there’s a practical rule at play. Commercial cabins are public spaces with shared norms. Nobody boarding an aircraft should expect privacy comparable to their bedroom at home (or an Emirates first class shower suite a few feet away on the same aircraft). And while some might argue that Emirates’ business class seats on the A380 create a quasi-private environment, that’s not how public spaces work. Courtesy and respect for shared norms matter.
But critics of social media culture have a point in general. Influencer content often skews toward spectacle over substance, and posting anything that makes someone uncomfortable for the sake of views has become almost toxic. In this case, though, the spectacle seems relatively harmless. And yes, I’m not outraged because the guy is ripped…had it been an obese flyer, I’m honest enough to say I would have been absolutely disgusted by it. Different strokes for different folks is the reason we should all leave our shirts on in public…
CONCLUSION
At the end of the day, don’t expect your fellow passengers to celebrate your great abs or pecs at 35,000 feet, even if our society tends to grant more tolerance to good looking men and women. But when you think about what actually matters on a flight, safety, crew respect, and general courtesy, this ranks as a low-level distraction. Not great, but far less offensive than some of the antics by other vloggers who must constantly gin up controversy or feign outrage in order to stay relevant. This guy at least keeps thing positive and it is commendable how he takes care of himself.
I will say this, though. Rather than direct outrage toward this guy, join me in hitting the gym, eating healthy, and getting enough sleep night. That way, you can have a fit body too. Just keep your shirt on. I’ll try to do the same…
Honestly, don’t really care what he does in his seat why do people care? So what if he is shirtless.
You wanna normalize this? Ok, do it next time you fly Spirit.
Because it’s not his seat. This isn’t a private jet. It’s a public space. There is one place where you can do whatever you want and no one will care. It’s called a home. Everywhere else is part of society.
Honestly, what an insane question. “Why do people care?”. Come on.
It’s not a problem since he’s good looking.
It would be a problem if he was some fat hairy gross person.
There are double standards as there should be. More attractive people and people with money should be treated better in society. People call it “privilege” and I agree, IT IS a privilege and one that should be celebrated and encouraged in our society.
Stop giving these assholes exactly what they want – attention. Until people decide getting clicks isn’t’t worth the ethical cost to give them attention, society will continue to go down the drain. But you would rather get the clicks. Trumpistan is the result. Look in the mirror to see who’s really responsible.
Matt, I would encourage you to refrain from posting the pics or links when you comment on negative influencer behavior. That’s what they want. That’s why they do it. You are literally working for this guy by reposting this.