Mandy Moore Shares Her ‘FIRSTS’ and Talks Breaking Free From Labels With TJ Maxx’s #ClaimYourAnd Campaign
Beloved actress, singer and mom, Mandy Moore inspires women to live unapologetically themselves
Through their Maxx You Project, TJ Maxx has been dedicated for nearly a decade to helping women embrace their full, multi-faceted selves with confidence, boldness and style. Now, for their latest campaign, called “#ClaimYourAnd,” they’re partnering with iconic actress and multihyphenate, Mandy Moore to encourage women of all ages to break away from labels and limitations and claim your and.
“Most women are sort of pigeonholed, and labels were put on me at a very, very young age. I had to fight against that. I think we all are constantly fighting that,” Mandy Moore tells FIRST for Women. “It’s not so much that having a label thrust upon you is problematic, but it’s the idea that it’s your only singular, identifiable characteristic. There is freedom and empowerment that can come with this idea that you get to define yourself at any age on your own terms.”
The 40-year-old This is Us star says that looking in the mirror and embracing all of her many facets has been an unbelievable experience. “I can’t wait to hear stories from women joining me on this journey, she beams. “I feel so inspired and honored to be partnering with TJ Maxx to encourage women everywhere to boldly express every unique element of their identity.”
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The #ClaimYourAnd campaign will encourage people to comment on the many facets that make them feel like their full, authentic selves. For every comment posted on TJ Maxx’s TikTok and Instagram between now and Aug. 31, 2024 that uses the hashtag #ClaimYourAnd, the retailer will donate $1 to the nonprofit Dress for Success, with a minimum donation of $100,000.
Here, Mandy shares her ‘FIRST firsts’ in a one-on-one chat with FIRST for Women about how she claimed her AND throughout career-defining moments that brought her to where she is today.
FIRST for Women (FFW): Can you share about the moment when you felt like you first ‘claimed your AND’?
Mandy: The first moment I feel like I “claimed my AND” was probably as a young person starting out in the business and going from being a “pop star” to an actor and people forcing me at a young age to make the choice of one or the other.
I viscerally remember at 16 being put in that position and saying, “Nope, I’m both. I’m not going to make the choice.” Maybe I have this hat on one day and another hat on the other day, but I can be two things at once. I can be more than two things at once. That’s what I remember as a young person taking the power to claim my AND, and be as multi-dimensional as possible.
FFW: What was your first favorite beauty product?
Mandy: I remember MAC lipglass in the late 90s. That super glossy, shiny lip that was almost like you were putting super glue on your mouth. I loved it. And I had the gloss that had glitter in it. I remember feeling so grown up wearing that like, “Oh, I’m wearing makeup, real makeup.” It was a big deal to go to the mall and go to the MAC counter.
FFW: What was the first dream-come-true moment in your career?
Mandy: Filming the “Candy” music video and flying across the country and starting the NSYNC tour the next day. Then from there, I went to the Backstreet Boys tour just four or five months later.
It just was a dream after dream after dream. It was a quick succession of all of these like moments that if I had seen them happen to someone else in a movie, I would have felt like, “That’s unbelievable, right?” That was definitely the first dream come true moment.
FFW: What was your first grown-up splurge purchase?
Mandy: Probably a car when I turned 16. My parents let me buy a car, and I bought myself a BMW SUV. It was a nice car and I worked very hard. It was a big purchase and I had that car for 6 or 7 years. It was gold.
I don’t know why I chose a gold car. I was very meticulous about keeping it clean. I think if my mom and dad bought me a car, maybe I would have been a little more carefree. But it was such a big purchase, so I was like, “It must be clean!”
Related: From a Skyrocketing Music Career to Starring in ‘This Is Us’, Mandy Moore Has Done It All
FFW: What was your first must-have clothing/fashion item?
Mandy: Well, the first red carpet that I went to was for the Billboard Music Awards in 1999 and I splurged on the whole outfit, which was the most hideous thing I’ve ever, ever seen in my life. It was back when the taffeta ball gown skirts with a little sweater was very in. I remember seeing Gwyneth Paltrow in one in a magazine.
And I was like, “That’s what I want to wear on this first red carpet.” Mine was bubblegum pink, lime green and purple plaid. It was so ugly. With a pink sleeveless sweater with Swarovski crystals on it, and matching pink sandals. I had, I think, green eyeshadow. I mean, it was just a walking hot mess. That was my first big splurge. I bought it and then wore it on the red carpet.
FFW: How did you first break free from labels?
Mandy: Still to this day, people are like, “Well, are you an actor? Are you a singer? One or the other?” Why is it outside of the realm of possibility to be both? So I just continue to try to make the choices that align with what feels right to me and recognize that sometimes the world just has to catch up.
But if I know where I’m going, if I know the lane that I feel comfortable in, then I’m just going to keep putting one foot in front of the other. It’s not my responsibility to catch the world up. Hopefully they’ll get there, and I know I’m enough.
Join the conversation with @tjmaxx on TikTok and Instagram. To learn more about Claim Your And, including the tools and resources TJMaxx is providing to empower women to boldly express every unique facet of their identity, visit MaxxYouProject.com
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