7 Reasons why Lily from those hilarious AT&T commercials is BAE

Though I'm not sure anyone uses the word BAE anymore, it's really the only appropriate word I can think of when referring to Lily Adams aka Milana Vayntrub. She's the woman behind those hilarious AT&T commercials and believe it or not she’s a refugee, comedian, actress and a woman I proudly call a friend. So here are the 7 reasons why Milana V. is BAE and our Every Girl of the Week.

1. She's Hilarious

With a quick search for the young starlet's name, you’ll get thousands of hits and comments about all the things Milana has managed to accomplish in her 30 years. Starring roles in programs like This is Us, AT&T's hit commercial series as well as College Humour, just to name a few. Even with all those credits to her name, most things pale in comparison to Milana's quick wit and ability to make any crowd burst into fits of laughter. She seems to have particularly mastered the art of using her facial expressions to get her comedic point across. Funnily enough, it wasn’t until recently when I took my daily nose dive into the deep dark abyss that is Youtube, that I realised my dear Milana was one of the pioneering women who brought us the term "resting b$tch face." The video is super funny and I just think no matter who you are; young, old, black or white... we can all pretty much relate to this one!

2. She understands Black Lives Matter.

Milana -Instagram

Not long ago, Milana and I sat down over dinner and discussed how she uses her platform to shed light on important issues. She explained to me that even though she has a very large following on social media, there's a huge gap in engagement when she posts about social or political issues, compared to when she posts a selfie. "The difference is usually 15-25 thousand fewer likes on a post that address real issues, especially when I talk about race." she explained. She went on to tell me that it doesn't matter to her because she won't be silenced.

"I have been really lucky. None of the companies I work for have ever asked me to censor myself or become more palatable for their audience. I’ve actually always felt supported to freely express myself. I am really grateful for that.”

-Milana

3. She refuses to be baited by castings that play into gender conforming roles or inflammatory stereotypes.

Milana - Instagram

Milana’s recurring role on the AT&T commercials were funny, smart and most importantly to her, the character was multi-dimensional. This is why she believes Lily was so popular! In a recent interview, Milana went on to say that “Lily was the successful store manager that’s really doing it and it was important for the role to reflect the values that were important to me." No wonder she was less than impressed when her character was spoofed on an episode of "Inside Amy Schumer."

After the episode aired, Milana responded by saying,

“The way that you're going to play my character is to make her dumb? Well, that's lazy! She's the successful store manager, she's really doing it, I'm proud of the girl we have made... if you see Lily as a prop that's there to entice men, then you need to look at the way you watch women on television." -Milana

4. She's high school drop out!

Although I would never advocate for anyone to drop out of school - there is something to be said about taking the road less travelled on the way to your dreams! Much like myself, Milana could not handle the law and order of traditional schooling and decided to leave and get her GED: a test that sees less than 11% of its recipients ever earn more than $24,000 a year.

It's a huge accomplishment, considering how much she has managed to do since then, and it sets an example that you don’t need to be a traditionalist to make waves! Milana mentioned that she left high school because she loved the arts and creating things with her hands and that she didn’t really see the value in sticking around to learn things she would never use. All I can say is, "Girl, I feel you!"

5. She's a refugee.

can't do nothing

Milana left Tashkent, Uzbekistan when she was just two years old. Her family was forced to flee due to religious and ethnic persecution targeted at the minority Jewish population throughout her homeland. Now a long-term resident and citizen of California, Milana recognised just how serious the current refugee crisis has become and decided to do something about it by volunteering on the Greek islands of Lesbos. For two and a half weeks Milana cooked, cleaned, and packed sanitation kits for arriving refugee families. At the end of her time, she left the island with a promise to continue working on solutions that would elevate the burden to families fleeing for safety. Milana has kept that promise and continues to travel to affected areas even today; most recently returning from a trip to Amman, Jordan where she helped build a school for children living outside the official refugee camps.

6. She's a superhero

Looper

As someone who grew up with two brothers that were literally obsessed with DC Comic and Marvel, for me, loving super heroes was never really an option. You just did. So there's no wonder my heart nearly escaped my chest when I heard the news that Milana was cast as Squirrel Girl, in Marvel’s live action show “New Warriors". Squirrel Girl’s greatest super power is her optimism which is also a fundamental part of Milana’s real life spirit. She's always smiling, always excited for what's next and pumped to take on the next adventure. Trust me when I say, I have already started counting down the days and the viewing party is at my house!

7. She 'Can't Do Nothing' in the face of injustice

Milana Vyntrub -IG

Like so many people in my life these days, Milana and I were introduced through our work on the refugee crisis. In 2015 after Milana volunteered in Greece, she put together a beautiful documentary to continue shining a light on the the crisis. The film, appropriately named "Can't Do Nothing", along with her organzation by the same name, has helped to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to support projects like Salam UK, The Syria Fund and Together for better days.Each organisation is working to provide care for refugees throughout Europe and the Middle East. Just another example of why we love her so much!

So, there you have it: Beauty. Brains, a stellar sense of humour with a strong moral compass - all wrapped up into one superhero of a lady! She is definitely a shining example of what Every Girl is all about.

Here's to you Milana! To being our BAE all day!

Who do you think the next Every Girl BAE should be? We'd love to hear your suggestions about amazing women we can feature.

Also, if have haven't already, follow Milana on social media

IG: @mintmilana

Twitter: @mintmilana