After a long and exhausting few weeks at work, all I wanted was a peaceful flight to unwind. I boarded the plane with a simple plan in mind—settle into my seat, pick a good movie, and relax for a few uninterrupted hours above the clouds. It wasn’t much to ask, especially considering how mentally drained I felt.

But the universe, as usual, had other plans. As I got comfortable and started scrolling through the in-flight entertainment options, the young woman in the seat in front of me suddenly flipped her long, thick hair over the back of her headrest. It fell squarely onto my tray table, completely blocking my screen. At first, I thought it was an accident. Maybe she didn’t realize what she’d done. I leaned forward and politely tapped her shoulder. With a smile that I forced to remain friendly, I asked if she could move her hair back over her seat. She didn’t even turn to face me. She just huffed slightly and flicked her hair back to her side. Crisis averted—or so I thought. No more than five minutes later, the same heavy curtain of hair came sliding back down, once again sprawling across my tray and screen like it owned the space. This time, I gave it a moment. Maybe she’d realize on her own. Maybe she’d feel it.

But she didn’t. She just sat there, fully engrossed in whatever was happening on her side of the seat, utterly indifferent to the person directly behind her. I cleared my throat louder, hoping she’d catch the hint. Nothing. I gave her another polite request, but she completely ignored me. That’s when something inside me shifted—not anger exactly, but a firm sense of resolve. If she wasn’t going to respect my space, then perhaps a bit of creative problem-solving was in order. I reached into my carry-on and pulled out a pack of gum. I unwrapped three sticks, chewed them slowly as I watched her hair sway in my space, and carefully, without making a scene, began pressing pieces of the gum into the strands of her hair—one after the other. It was surprisingly easy.

She was too distracted to notice anything. I wasn’t trying to be malicious. I wasn’t loud or aggressive. But I did want her to remember this moment. About fifteen minutes later, I heard a gasp. She had finally noticed the gum stuck in her hair and immediately turned around, horrified. “What the hell happened to my hair?” she demanded.

I looked her square in the eyes and said calmly, “That’s what happens when you treat people around you like they don’t matter.” Her eyes went wide. “Are you insane?” she snapped. I didn’t flinch. “No. But you clearly thought your comfort was more important than basic respect. You had plenty of chances to move your hair.” I then reached into my bag again and offered her a pair of small manicure scissors. “You’ve got two choices. Handle it yourself, or I’ll help you cut it out.” She looked around, embarrassed, but no one else seemed to have noticed the exchange. She didn’t yell. She didn’t curse. Instead, she sat back down, tied her hair up into a bun, and didn’t speak another word to me for the rest of the flight. The rest of the journey was quiet, just as I had originally hoped. I finally got to watch my movie in peace, free from stray strands of hair or the stress of feeling invisible. Some might say I went too far, but I’d argue that boundaries matter—especially when you’re sharing tight spaces with strangers. I wasn’t trying to humiliate her; I just needed to make a point. And judging by how quickly she changed her behavior, I think the message was received loud and clear.