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Real Housewives Of Dubai star Lesa Milan admits to not seeing other women as “competition” amid the show’s drama-packed season 2 release
By Shania King-Soyza
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Reality television is a force of nature that has been on a rapid incline since its boom in the mid-2000s. From Paris Hilton to Kim Kardashian, this genre of TV has seen a surge of female personalities taking over our screens and has spotlighted powerful women in entertainment and business.
Some critics deem reality television as being problematic, harmful and unethical with the influence to ‘humiliate’ women by pitting them against each other. However, rising reality television star, Lesa Milan refutes such comments by revealing her true feelings about women in her industry.
Milan admitted that she does not see “women as competition, but rather an ally” and plans to help the next generation of girls “by moving things forward, not backwards” Celebrating her second season on The Real Housewives of Dubai, Milan exclusively sat down with Femme Fatale TV to speak on all things motherhood, female empowerment and how to rule the fashion industry.
The Real Housewives franchise perfectly showcases the personal and professional lives of a group of wealthy and successful women. Milan embodies the identity of the show by being a successful entrepreneur, fashion designer, journalist and mother.
From being on screens internationally to having Beyonce and the Kardashians donning her original designs, how did Milan become such a formidable character in the entertainment world?
Lesa “Milan” Hall was born in Jamaica but was raised in Miami, Florida. Before hitting our screens as a reality superstar, Milan modelled whilst participating in several beauty competitions.
According to her personal blog, at 24, she was finishing her final semester at University whilst being in a long-distance relationship with her now husband, Richard Hall. However, “after a fun trip to London,” the pair began expecting a baby.
She revealed: He was just as surprised at our baby news, but wasted no time planning our future – he popped the question, we got married and I moved to Dubai at 3 months pregnant.” Lesa and Richard now share three children: Maximillian, Sebastian and Kristian.
In her exclusive interview with Femme Fatale TV, Lesa mentioned the difference between being a boy mum and a girl mum and said: “I cannot tell you the difference between being a boy mom and a girl mom because I only have three sons. But I will say that being a boy mom is so amazing. I am such a girly girl. So I think God makes no mistakes. My sons keep me grounded and yeah. I have new interests. I love football now and that’s not something that I necessarily would have been interested in if I had a daughter.”
Nevertheless, her children have surely been an inspiration to her as she now successfully owns a maternity fashion brand called Mina Roe. Her fashion line was manifested out of her desire for something chic and sustainable, whilst filling a void in the maternity industry. Since its conception, the brand has birthed a new line called Ready-To-Wear with the postpartum body in mind and reduces the appearance of scars and stretch marks.
Speaking on her clothing brand she shared: “Mina Roe started out as a luxury maternity brand in fashion. And this year we launched our skincare line, which I’m so proud of. We have belly and body oils for stretch marks, and belly masks for stretch marks. And I hope in the next five years that we just continue growing and expanding and continue taking care of mamas.”
Building her business was never a simple task for Milan, despite marrying a “super-entrepreneur who helped [her] along the way.” She struggled between motherhood and establishing her own career. In her blog, she stated: “ When you choose to combine motherhood and career in any way, there will always be sacrifices and compromises – so it’s most important to know your “why” (income, satisfaction, sanity) and to do what works for you, for your children and your family.”
However, she realised that she did not need to balance the two areas within her life but rather find “integration.” She continued: “ Integration allows me to create more synergies between these two areas of my life, knowing and accepting that my children are my focus and priority while also giving myself dedicated times in my day to achieve my own business and personal goals.”
Since then, her fashion brand has blossomed and has seen stars including Gigi Hadid, Khloé Kardashian and Serena Williams wearing her original pieces and even Beyonce wearing her clothing line twice.
When asked about her fashion influences, she revealed: “I’m inspired by so many designers. My favourites are some of the ones that are coming out of Africa. I used Weiz Dhurm Franklin out of Nigeria to design a lot of my confessional looks for Real Housewives of Dubai and I mean, his pieces are amazing. And as far as mainstream, I love, love the designers from Saint Laurent. I feel like they are this and last year, the trendsetters of who everyone’s looking to.”
For women attempting to make their mark in the fashion world, Milan advises “to stay consistent. The fashion industry is constantly changing. So don’t be afraid to be bold. Don’t be afraid to take chances to take risks and to let your creative juices flow because you might be the next trendsetter.”
Speaking to Essence she neatly summarised her success and said: “You can run a successful business, be a great mom, be a great wife. You can ultimately have it all. I wanted that message to come across because so often we don’t see that on reality television.”
It is no wonder the star has returned to screens as she aims to reiterate her powerful message to share with women across the world. Milan concluded: “To me. Female empowerment means being a girl’s girl, not seeing the fellow female as a competition, but rather as an ally, you know, helping the next generation building and lifting people up rather than being crabs in a barrel. You know, I’m so big on, you know, moving things forward and not going backwards. And that means helping the next generation and the next girl that comes after you.”