Daughter Wears a Crop Top to a Job Interview and, to Mom’s Disbelief, Gets the Job

While Gen X, millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha seem to never agree on anything, we all meet in the middle once it’s time to post on TikTok. The platform's lingo, music, and trends have guided the generations to understand one another’s interests a little better so that we can relentlessly mock one another.

One thing Gen Xers and millennials alike are guilty of (don’t fight me, I am a '90s millennial) is showing how much more grown up they were than the younger generations.

One mom, a self-proclaimed "'80s baby," took to her TikTok account to show how unserious her daughter, a “2000s baby,” went out into the workforce.

After seeing that her daughter wore a crop top to her job interview, the mom was confident she would have to continue job hunting. However, she quickly learned that the requirements of dressing to impress have vastly changed since she was younger.

We should all know by now that Gen Z is not the generation that will play by the rules and “do everything right” themselves to death. After seeing previous generations struggle to buy a house or retire, they’ve learned early that having a job isn’t as big of a deal as everyone makes it out to be.

In December 2023, a TikTok user named Lina Banks (@therealmsbanks_) showed how little Gen Z cares about job interviews. In a recording from Lina’s Ring doorbell, the Atlanta native talked to her daughter, Alaijah, as the daughter locked the house’s door.

During their small talk, Lina asked her daughter where she was going, and she replied she was headed to a job interview. Alaijah then asked her mom if she liked her outfit, and Lina pointed out that her child’s “belly is out.”

Lina’s daughter laughed and told her mom, “I knew you were gonna say that,” and posed for the Ring camera, showing off the crop top with a jacket over it. The daughter said she wouldn’t wear anything more formal than her crop top because “it’s just Ulta” that she was interviewing with.

While Alaijah didn’t seem to mind her interview attire, her mom firmly suggested she change her look, telling her, “You still can’t go in there like that,” even if it’s “just Ulta.” Lina also scolded her daughter for being so casual about her job interview.

“You don't take nothing seriously,” Lina told her child.

While Lina was convinced Alaijah would come home without a job, she confirmed that her daughter’s crop top wasn’t an issue for Ulta a few days later. After receiving many comments about the video, Alaijah told Lina’s followers she got the job.

Sitting on the house’s steps, Alaijah said, “I did get the job, everybody.” However, Alaijah was fortunate enough to turn the job down because Sis was booked and busy. She explained that she had “other jobs lined up” and couldn’t commit to Ulta.

Alaijah said in Lina’s initial post that she “gets the job every time,” so there was no reason for her mom to doubt she would do it again at Ulta. The daughter ended her update by telling Lina’s followers what they wear doesn’t matter so long as they “zip that jacket up.”

As someone who prefers dressing to impress, I can’t say wearing a crop top to an interview would be my first choice, especially if the interview is in person. Nonetheless, I appreciate Alaisa’s boldness and would likely be as unbothered if I got the job after every interview. We love a smooth-talking queen!

Lina received tons of traffic on her TikTok posts about her daughter’s outfit choice. Several users couldn’t imagine wearing a crop top to an interview and suggested the person who offered Alaijah the job was either a part of her generation or didn’t mind because she zipped her jacket. However, others said they didn’t care what Alaijah wore and had worn something similar.

“I’m a Gen Z, and I can vouch 😂,” one user wrote. “I wear all black with vans and get almost every job.”

“I don’t dress up for interviews either, but a crop top is crazy,” another wrote.

“Love her personality,” a third user said of Alaijah.