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You might not recognize actress Milana Vayntrub's name, but you've definitely seen her face. The 34-year-old has starred as saleswoman 'Lily Adams' in a long-running campaign of AT&T commercials.
The company's latest ad starring Vayntrub recently debuted during the NCAA Tournament. The 30-second spot sees 'Lily' interacting with a sports fan who seems to have a foam finger for every question she asks. 'Lily' talks about how great AT&T is at keeping fans connected to March Madness thanks to the company's 5G. It seems like a typical ad from the phone company, except in this one, 'Lily' is shown behind a desk with her lower body concealed, which is a departure from previous commercials where she was fully in front of the camera.
The change in placement was very much intentional and Vayntrub said she's been receiving a lot of questions about it. She tweeted, "Been getting a lot of 'Why are they placing her body like that in those ads?' Well, I direct the ads. I place myself like that. And it’s because of the thousands of unwelcome comments I receive about my body. You’ve lost the privilege of looking at it until I feel safe again."
Vayntrub has been struggling with the online sexual harassment for months. Last year, she got emotional on Instagram Live to discuss the comments she faces daily, saying in that video, "I am not consenting to any of this... I do not want any of this." She added, "I'm hurting... and it's bringing up a lot of feelings of sexual assault."
AT&T fully supports their star, releasing a statement to Yahoo that reads, "We will not tolerate the inappropriate comments and harassment of Milana Vayntrub, the talented actor and director who portrays 'Lily' in our ads. Last summer, we disabled or deleted these comments on our social sites. We continue to fight to support her and our values, which appreciate and respect all women."
Another new ad with 'Lily' is out and it also features Vayntrub behind a desk.
You can stay up to date with Milana on her Instagram, here.
Photo: Getty Images