The Real Housewives of Dubai is showcasing all of the Black girl magic the city has to offer, and Lesa Milan Hall is right at the center. The College Hill alum is not only living but thriving as an expat in a city that has become one of the top travel destinations for Americans in recent years. And she’s doing so in style.
Milan Hall has lived in Dubai for a decade. She moved there for her husband and enjoys raising her three boys there, noting it’s safe and the city is not bound by racial disparities. Shadow and Act Unscripted spoke with her about what to expect this season, why Dubai was the perfect place for Bravo’s first international housewives franchise, living and raising an interracial family in Dubai and more.
“The best thing about Dubai for me is the safety. I never have to worry about my little boys being judged because of the color of their skin. If you don't like them, you don't like them because of their personality, not necessarily because of the way they look,” she told us.
“I don’t have to worry about my kids being in any danger because of the way they look. So safety is number one for me. And after what happened in 2020, especially with the Black Lives Matter movement and everything, we saw what happened with George Floyd,” she added.
Aside from family, the fashion brand owner believes the show can debunk rumors that women, especially women of color, are living in a suppressive state. She started her maternity brand five years ago and continues to have much success, with notable figures like Beyoncé and Gigi Hadid wearing her brand, Mina Roe.
“I moved to Dubai shortly after university, so I actually didn't [start any sort of business while living in America]. I've always had that entrepreneurial spirit. However, moving here, I got pregnant, and I couldn't find really nice maternity wear to fit my style and my age. So because I had a background in fashion, I started designing maternity workwear,” she explained.
She notes that she only works with women, something that was intentional on her end. “It has been super successful in Dubai. We manufacture everything in Dubai. My company is actually majority female, so I only work with manufacturers that I run or owned by women. The photography company that I use is run by women,” she said with a smile. “I’m all about women empowerment.”
While viewers will see her balancing being a wife, mother, and business owner, there’s always drama as with any other Housewives franchise. Milan Hall is seemingly stuck between her friend group, being friends or friendly with the cast. But don’t get her Switzerland approach fool you.
“I don't really take the Switzerland approach, to be honest. For me, I'm more of a right is right and wrong is wrong type of person,” she noted.
She warned: “Don’t come for me, because I’ll send you right back where you came from.”
Milan Hall is hopeful people will see all that Dubai has to over. More than anything, to show that successful women can get along.
Watch the full video below:
