Before Ragen embraced HAES, she was actually surprisingly self-aware of the limitations she imposed on herself by remaining obese. She recognized that she would never improve her dancing, and that society cannot accommodate morbidly obese people without extra cost. Even in 2009, two years after she gave up on losing weight, she wrote a fairly reasonable (by her standards) post about airline policies for fat people who require more than one seat.

Almost all of Ragen’s Livejournal posts from this time period were transferred over to her current WordPress blog. This one was not.

“…I think that airlines are completely justified in charging double for people who take up more than one seat.” Ragen Chastain, 2009

In 2011, Ragen was starting to realize her blog was her best source of income and preparing to “retire” and develop much stronger “fat activist” opinions. She still had some practical solutions for airlines.

“…on a couple of rows, we could remove the middle seat. These could be given to passengers of size. Or if they want to change they could charge 1.5 times the price of a regular ticket for these seats.” Ragen Chastain, 2011

By 2012, Ragen had completely changed her tune and decided that fat people should be accommodated on planes just like everyone else. Incidentally, Ragen met her girlfriend Julianne not long after writing the previous post. While Ragen herself claims she has enough “privilege” to fit in a single airline seat, Julianne weighs over 500 pounds and requires two seats. Ragen has complained about their difficulties travelling together on several occasions. As usual Ragen will happily flipflop on an issue when it personally affects or her suits her agenda.

“If people on the plane who aren’t fat have a seat they can fit into, then when a fat person asks for a seat they can fit into they are not asking for special treatment, they are asking for what everyone else already has.” Ragen Chastain, 2012

By 2013, Ragen the fat activist had decided airlines are all part of a grand conspiracy against fat people.

“Meanwhile the airlines continue to make seats smaller and closer together and insist that it’s “only fair” that fat people pay more for the same trip. This only works because fatphobia is so prevalent.” Ragen Chastain, 2013

By 2014, Ragen was firmly against fat people being charged for two seats.

“If you think that you somehow deserve a seat and seatbelt that accommodate you while you fly but you think that other people don’t deserve the same thing and/or should have to pay twice as much as you for the same service, then congrats on being a magnificent douche.” Ragen Chastain, magnificent douche, 2014