- A TikToker said that a passenger behind her on a plane touched her with his bare foot.
- In her viral video, she said she believes he did it deliberately, as some kind of amusing "game."
A TikToker who filmed the moment she discovered a man's bare foot poking out under her seat on a flight has shocked viewers with her story about how "freaked out" she was by the encounter.
Tivona, a comedy and lifestyle content creator with 140,000 followers, shared a video that appeared to show her sitting on a plane on June 24, where she had a shocked expression on her face.
"I felt something tickle my leg," an on-screen caption on the post read. Tivona then flipped the camera away from her face to reveal a passenger's bare foot poking out under her seat from behind her.
@teatinz no way people actually do this im flabbergasted
♬ drama effect background
"They were cold," Tivona said in another on-screen caption, going on to write, "Do you know how far you have to reach your feet to TOUCH the person in front of you!!????"
While most of the TikToker's previous posts have received only thousands of views, her plane video blew up, receiving 29.5 million views. Commenters said they were appalled by the passenger's behavior and would have complained to the flight attendants if they were in the TikToker's shoes.
On June 26, Tivona posted a follow-up video, explaining more about what happened on the flight and why it made her feel "freaked out."
She said that the passenger behind her was a middle-aged man who she presumed was traveling with his wife, and they were both giggling and saying things like "haha, we're so weird," during the journey.
@teatinz Replying to @Carson Nelson ♬ original sound - Tivona
The TikToker theorized that the passenger was touching her with his foot on purpose, based on their giggling and the fact that there was another passenger sitting in the window seat in front of the man originally, who moved to another seat during the flight. The TikToker said she took the opportunity to sit in the newly free window seat, which is when the man touched her leg with his foot.
"I'm thinking he probably touched her too and caused her to leave, and then I pull in, and they're like 'ooh, another person to play around with,' because they think this is a fucking game or something," she said.
The TikToker concluded by saying that luckily, the uncomfortable situation only lasted a short while as the plane was about to land, but commenters said they still thought it was bizarre and inappropriate nonetheless.
A number of users said they would have confronted the couple if they were in the TikToker's position, while a handful of other users shared their own stories about being on a plane and feeling uncomfortable when a passenger near them had taken off their shoes and socks to go barefoot on the journey.
@hillnpoo Replying to @nayyyyyyy_nayyyyyyy please comment if you have had people barefoot on your flight #airplanetiktok #airlineetiquette #airplaneetiquette #hillnpootravel2 #travelrules #traveltiktok ♬ original sound - HillnPoo
Discussions about being barefoot on planes are a particularly controversial topic on TikTok, where travel and plane etiquette stories often go hugely viral. Several users have filmed other passengers taking their shoes off on flights, accusing them of bad plane etiquette and criticizing their hygiene, particularly when they're seen walking around the plane or going to the bathroom without shoes.
Earlier this year, four flight attendants told Insider they highly recommend that passengers wear shoes during flights, and said that going to the bathroom barefoot on a flight can result in passengers stepping in urine.
Tivona (@teatinz) did not immediately respond to Insidr's request for comment.
For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here.