In March 2021, AT&T aired commercials starring Milana Vayntrub that intentionally kept her body hidden. The ads, which aired during NCAA’s March Madness, sparked a discussion about Vayntrub’s body being obscured. This caused the “Werewolves Within” actor to address the issue on X, formerly Twitter. “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,” Vayntrub tweeted in March 2021. “You’ve lost the privilege of looking at it until I feel safe again,” she added.
Later that year, Vayntrub further opened up about why she decided to keep her body off-camera. “Just by showing up to do my job, I received unwanted sexual and violent comments about my body and what people want to do to it,” she told Business Insider in July 2021. The “Silicon Valley” actor discussed how the onus was put on her to “avoid harassment.” That led to Vayntrub having to carefully select scenes not only in ad spots for AT&T but also in any other project she worked on. “I’m unfortunately always thinking about it,” she added.
A fellow commercial star, Flo from Progressive — whose real name is Stephanie Courtney — reached out to Vayntrub to offer support. Speaking to The New York Times in December 2023, Vayntrub said Courtney’s support made her feel “like there were people on my team.” While difficult, the online harassment was not the greatest hardship Vayntrub had endured.
