The actress known for playing AT&T spokeswoman Lily Adams in the company’s commercials went on Instagram Live this week to discuss the sexual harassment she’s been facing online.
The actress, Milana Vayntrub, is often sexualized in the comments of AT&T’s social media posts. At least a dozen fan-made YouTube videos are focused on the “A&T Girl” and her looks.
“Maybe this just has to be with being a person on the internet or maybe it’s specific to being a woman. But it’s because of your tits,” Vayntrub said on Instagram. “Listen, that’s why I’m here. All of these ‘milk’ and ‘milkies’ comments and ‘milk wagons’ and all of that, it hurts my feelings.”
She said the numerous comments about her chest on the AT&T Instagram page pushed the company account to turn its comments off. Before doing so, the company responded to inappropriate comments with, “Your overshares aren’t welcome.”
Twitter account @megatronraid shared screenshots of a couple of the comments and captioned the tweet, “Instagram is like a foreign country.” The objectifying comments migrated to Twitter and continued there.
“I had such a huge crush on her when I first saw her in the early att commercials. Now all of sudden, everyone is seeing her voluptuous body!“ one Twitter user wrote.
Another Twitter user, @emotylol, posted a snippet of Vayntrub’s tearful Live.
“This is so sad,” he wrote in the caption. “She (the at&t girl) is talking about how she’s uncomfortable with being sexualized and people [are] making sexual comments about her chest. what the fuck.”
He continued in a separate tweet: “Y’all are sociopaths. i kept seeing so many posts like ‘omg the at&t woman is so hot! [look] at those boobs!’ and i knew that it was going to turn sour.”
Vayntrub did not immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment.
Update 3:43pm CT, Aug. 25: In a statement to the Daily Dot, an AT&T spokesperson confirmed that “inappropriate comments” about Vayntrub will be removed from the company’s social media posts.
“We will continue to fight to support her and our values, which appreciate and respect all women,” the spokesperson said.
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