A Starbucks barista sparked debate on TikTok after sharing that she doesn’t like when customers call her babe, and a lot of female service employees agree.
Devi Moreno (@itsdeviiiiiii) is in a Starbucks, lip-syncing to audio that says “Babe? I’m not your babe.”
“When customer [say] “thanks babe” after handing them their coffee,” she wrote in the text overlay.
In the caption, she called it “a pet peeve of mine.”
The video was posted to the platform on March 9, and it’s garnered over 46,000 views since.
In the comments section, many women in the service industry agree with Moreno.
“Or when they call u princess and don’t tip you,” one commenter wrote with an eye-roll emoji.
Another user said it was “only ok when a girl does it,” and many people, including Moreno, seemed to agree.
“This,” Moreno responded.
TikTok user @kshortie.5 brought a bit of nuance to the conversation, noting, “As a McDs worker I love when female customers use pet names. From men, it feels odd depending on what they say and their tone.”
Despite the agreement from women in the service industry, the video still drew a fair few critical comments.
“Yall be complaining about everything,” user @earthtogeo commented, seemingly referring to Starbucks baristas.
The video speaks to a bigger issue of the sexualization, harassment, and infantilization of young women in service jobs. Many commenters detail harassment they faced on the job, from men trying to touch them inappropriately to calling them “baby girl”, showcasing that this isn’t an uncommon experience.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Moreno via TikTok comment.
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