Vayntrub’s cell phone ads are ubiquitous, so it’s quite expected that somebody would wind up parodying them. Inside Amy Schumer spoofed the spots on a 2016 episode—Schumer played an actress starring as a Lily-esque character in a cellphone company ad. When it initially aired, Vayntrub shared the sketch on her social media accounts and felt “flattered.” But after she actually watched the sketch a few more times, she changed her tune.
“The way that you’re going to portray this character is that you’re going to play her dumb? Well, that’s lazy. Can’t we think of any other thing to make fun of this character for?” She also called out Schumer for making its cellphone pitchwoman “sexy,” because she feels Lily is not a sex object, but rather a subtly feminist one. “I think the character was portrayed as a prop that was there to entice men and it was all about the way men look at her, and that this brand has put her there to be sexy,” Vayntrub said. “I think a lot of brands use women as props to sell products, and we work really hard to make Lily strong and smart and funny and independent. She’s the successful store manager, she’s really doing it, I’m proud of the girl we’ve made.”