Taking photos during a flight is pretty normal, whether it is your first time flying or your 50th.
However, one Malaysian recently found herself being photographed by another passenger while taking a selfie onboard a plane, before the image was uploaded online alongside remarks about her supposedly being from the B40 income group.
The post quickly went viral, but perhaps not for the reason the person behind it expected.
‘Do B40s have to take a selfie on their first flight?’
In a Threads post that has since garnered around 1 million views according to screenshots, a user shared photos of a woman sitting several rows away and taking a selfie on the plane.
The user then wrote:
Do B40 people have to take a selfie when they fly for the first time? Such kampung behaviour.”
The woman’s face was covered with an emoji in the photos shared online.
However, the remark did not sit well with many Malaysians, who questioned why something as harmless as taking a selfie on a plane needed to be linked to a person’s financial background.
It is unclear whether the woman knew that her photo had been taken and posted online.
‘What’s wrong with taking a photo?’
Many netizens came to the woman’s defence, saying people should be allowed to take photos of moments that are meaningful to them.
View on Threads
One commenter pointed out that nobody knew how long the woman might have saved for the flight.
“Some people can buy a flight ticket on the spot, while others may need to save for six months. What is wrong with taking a photo as a memory?” they wrote.
Another said that even frequent travellers still take photos during flights and added that there was nothing embarrassing about it.
One netizen simply asked:
“She wants to take a selfie. Is she disturbing your life?”
Others also criticised the act of secretly photographing another passenger just to make fun of them online.
“You took someone else’s photo and posted it without her knowledge,” one wrote.
Malaysians join the ‘kampung’ club
The “kampung” remark also prompted several Malaysians to respond with their own travel photos.
One commenter jokingly described herself as an “orang kampung” before sharing a photo from an Emirates business class flight and wishing that all the other “kampung people” being referred to would one day get to experience first class.
Another netizen shared photos taken during a flight and joked:
“Sorry, we B40 people really like taking pictures. We know we have kampung behaviour.”
Several public figures and verified users also weighed in, with one writing that whether someone is B40 or T20 ultimately does not matter.
Others stressed that the woman could simply have been documenting a personal achievement or sending the photo to her family.
As one commenter put it:
“No matter how many flights you have taken, take that selfie and send it to your loved ones.”
At the end of the day, a plane selfie might just be a plane selfie. For the person taking it, though, it could also represent a holiday they spent months saving for, a first time experience, or simply a memory they wanted to keep.
