Sarah Silverman has vowed to never again allow a man to perform an mammogram on her breasts following a “s**tty appointment” for one on Wednesday.
In a searing Instagram post, the comedian and actress claimed an unidentified radiology technician twice did not use gloves as he smeared gel onto her bare breasts ahead of an ultrasound. She also alleged he dragged his fingers over her breasts during the scan.
Silverman, 48, claimed the same man did exactly the same thing during their last appointment in 2018 — and that she raised her concerns with him both times, but to no avail.
“Look, I truly don’t think he was getting off on it, BUT it is his job to be aware that this is vulnerable for a woman,” she wrote. “Wear fucking GLOVES — this isn’t a date.”
Check out Silverman’s full post here:
Silverman said the medical professional’s refusal to acknowledge her initial complaint was “obnoxious and probably a subconscious power thing if we’re getting deep.”
It was “arrogant fucks like this doctor” who “take advantage of women’s socialized instinct to not speak up,” added Silverman, whose Hulu show “I Love You, America” was canceled in January.
“All this to say speak up,” she wrote. “Trust that thing in your gut that tells you this shit ain’t right.”
Check out the full text of her post here:
I had a shitty time at my mammogram appt today. I have to get an ultrasound after my mammograms because I have dense breasts (insert joke here) and this radiologist — the same man I had last year — I do not like him and here is why:
He opened my gown and put gel on my breasts and smeared it around with his bare hands. Then he started talking to me about my chest X-ray (I also got a chest X-Ray) and was pontificating with my boobs just out and covered in gel and cold and finally I said “Hey-can we either talk about this when I’m dressed or WHILE your doing the ultrasound? I’m not comfortable with my breasts out just shooting the shit with you”Okay so — he smears the gel on with his hands and NO GLOVES on and when he glides the ultrasound wand thing over my breasts he drags his fingers on them and it fucking bothers me. Again, AS I TOLD HIM LAST YEAR, I said “Hey! Do you need to be touching me with your fingers?” He said “No”. And he pulled them off of me. Then he added “I do that for balance.” I said “Well I believe in you and I think you can do with without your fingers on me”
Look, I truly don’t think he was getting off on it, BUT it is his job to be aware that this is vulnerable for a woman. Wear fucking GLOVES - this isn’t a date. For him to be so arrogant that he didn’t even internalize the problem when I said something to him about it last year is obnoxious and probably a subconscious power thing if we’re getting deep.
That was my last mammogram with this dude. Or any dude.
Look. I’m a grown woman and I’m fine. But this guy does this with everyone and I know that personally it took many years into adulthood before I spoke up for myself. It’s uncomfortable and too easy to think it’s all in your head. And arrogant fucks like this doctor take advantage of women’s socialized instinct to not speak up.
All this to say speak up. Trust that thing in your gut that tells you this shit ain’t right.
Clarification: Language in this story has been amended to clarify Silverman was criticizing the ultrasound and not the mammogram itself.