Mandy Teefey Insisted Daughter Selena Gomez "Hold Her Own Umbrella" in Early Days of Fame

She wanted her to be a "person first."

Selena Gomez (L) and her mom Mandy Cornett arrive to the 20th Annual "A Time for Heroes" Celebrity Carnival held at the Wadsworth Theater on June 7, 2009 in Los Angeles, California.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Mandy Teefey has just been honored as part of "The Moms" for Glamour's Women of the Year series, and she spilled on what it took to raise one of the most famous women in the world.

Selena Gomez' mom and business partner recalled a time when she made sure to instil solid values into her daughter, despite her growing fame.

"That is one of my favorite stories," Teefey explained. "She was getting out of the trailer, and there was an umbrella, and they were holding it for her, and then they were bringing her food and all this stuff, and I was like, 'She can hold her own umbrella.' She needs to learn how to pump her own gas in her car. She needs to be a person first."

Tina Knowles, who was also honored in the feature (alongside Donna Kelce and Maggie Baird), expressed a similar sentiment about her daughters Beyoncé and Solange Knowles.

"I’m proud to say that I do see the things that I instilled in them—treat people well, do not get stuck on yourself—because we had some moments where I was like, 'Listen, they can pick up their own suitcases,'" Tina said.

"'You look people in the eye, say hello, don’t turn into a diva. That’s not going to work here.' You have to teach your kids that. I don’t believe that that’s something that they just get, because everybody’s trying to handle everything for them and kissing their butts sometimes. And I am like, 'No, no, no, you’re not helpless.' So I’m most proud when they’re good people."

Teefey is CEO of Wondermind, the mental health platform she founded with Gomez, while Tina is vice chairwoman of Cécred, which is Beyoncé's hair care brand. They, along with Kelce and Baird, were therefore honored by Glamour in their own right as well as because of who their children are.

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Iris Goldsztajn
Morning Editor

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of British Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29 and SELF. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.