A woman who decided to give herself a beauty treatment during an hours-long flight has sparked fierce debate after a photo of the passenger painting her nails went viral online.
Shared to the Reddit forum r/mildlyinfuriating last week, the passenger who seemingly took the photo, who goes by the username u/tazdoestheinternet, claimed the woman whipped out the nail polish during a three-hour EasyJet flight.
While making sure you don't have a chipped manicure ahead of a holiday or business trip may not seem like the worst use of time on-board, the original poster (OP) explained the strong chemical fumes emanating from the nail polish were the problem - a smell exacerbated by the recycled air and sharing the enclosed space.
The OP claimed four people asked the woman to stop, as well as a flight attendant, but she refused.
The anecdote and its accompanying image quickly began circulating online, amassing hundreds of comments and thousands of upvotes. It also prompted fierce debate; while many agreed the woman's behaviour was unacceptable and ignored plane etiquette, others weren't so convinced she was in the wrong.
"If you all asked her to stop and she didn't - that's even worse than her lack of awareness," one wrote, with a second agreeing: "That's self-entitlement to an extreme degree."
"As someone who enjoys painting their nails, the fumes can be literally nauseating in an enclosed space for people with keen noses," a third weighed in, which was supported by a fourth who added: "It has an intense chemical smell, somewhat like acetone... some people swear the smell gives them headaches, and that's when doing it in a well-ventilated area. I wouldn't dare subject people to that on a flight."
"I get terrible migraines from nail coats," another pitched in, while one Redditor called the smell an "instant headache trigger".
At the time of writing, the post has been removed by the moderators of r/mildlyinfuriating.
According to medical sources, the fumes from nail polish can cause intoxication if they are sniffed on purpose. It's known that staff working in poorly ventilated nail salons can develop 'painter syndrome'; a permanent condition that can cause walking problems, speech problems and memory loss.
'Painter syndrome' may also be referred to as organic solvent syndrome, psycho-organic syndrome, and chronic solvent encephalopathy (CSE). CSE can also cause symptoms such as headache, fatigue, mood disturbances, sleep disorders and possible behavioural changes.
Earlier this year, a flight attendant made headlines after revealing the two items you should never wear on a plane if you want the best chance of having your seat upgraded.
Speaking to WhoWhatWear, the anonymous steward explained that jeans and trainers won't fly if you're hoping for an upgrade, claiming those who travel in style are more likely to get a complimentary trip to first class as staff favour smartly dressed passengers.