Instagram Model Gets Police Involved When Passenger Snapped Photos Of Her Sleeping Inflight

On December 14 model and social media fitness celebrity Anna Clara Rios took a flight from São Paulo to Belo Horizonte, and caught a man snapping photos of her while she was asleep on the 300 mile trip. And, she says, he ‘zoomed in‘ to ‘see what was under her dress’.

According to a translation of her Instagram story,

Guys, I’m here on the plane, I’m shaking with hate, okay? This gentleman here was taking pictures of me while I was sleeping, they had to let me know, move me, and he sent it to someone I have no idea who whatever

A flight attendant woke up the woman. The passenger says she was “trembl[ing] with rage.” She decided to confront the gentleman and demand he delete the video off of his phone, but she believes he’d already sent them via WhatsApp.

In India the photographer passenger could be charged with outraging the modesty of a woman. I’m uncertain what Brazilian law provides for. Laws around photography generally, and photographing individuals, vary widely around the world. In general photography in public in the U.S. is permitted with few restrictions.

Cabin crew informed the pilot of the incident, who contacted the airline, which had police respond to the aircraft’s arrival. The man was taken off the plane by officers, who questioned him at a nearby station but did not charge him.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. Criminal behavior or not, to photograph a stranger can be considered both creepy and gross depending upon the circumstances — even if the target of the unwanted photography is into selling her image in various states of undress and aware of what some guys do when looking at Instagram “models” out of public sight.

  2. The WhatsApp message in the video has a comment after her photo that mentions something about going to the capital/Brasilia with “this plane” behind.

    Is “the plane” a sexual reference?

  3. She posts photos and videos of herself for a living and is trembling with hate when someone takes a picture of her. Poor girl

  4. What this woman fails to understand is that her picture and video were taken thousands of times at the airport by security cameras. When in public, the assumption of privacy is not assured.

  5. The mainstream media have taken or released hundreds of inappropriate pictures that are upskirts of actresses, public figures and celebrities

    It’s creepy, violating and wrong but it happened to Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, Kate Middleton and so many others

  6. I always wear pants on an airplane—no skirts for me. This is from both a safety and practical standpoint. I don’t understand the girls who board with little skirts that hardly cover their bums while seated. Cringe to have one’s legs rub up and down the nasty seats all flight.

  7. @GUWonder yes, call a girl a “plane” it is a sexual reference in Brazil.. it’s something like calling her as “smokin’ hot”, for example.

  8. Her entire existence is centered around getting people to look at her. This mock outrage is yet another way to get the attention she desperately craves.

  9. So, out of 10 comments, we have at least a couple that think it’s fine to try to take unconsented pictures, including zooming in under her dress.

    I know moderation sucks, Gary, but why even bother if misogyny is no problem here?

  10. Picture underneath anything, nope, don’t pass go, straight to jail you go.

    Any other part of her sleeping that can be seen by the general public is not criminal even if she doesn’t like it, find it weird, too much, creepy, gross, or whatever other descriptive word she wants to use.

  11. She is a public place. She is an instagram model promoting her photos all over the internet. She has control over what she wears. No right to privacy. Much ado about nothing. Sorry to hear the guy was hassled by police.

Comments are closed.