HITS Radio presenter Fleur East has released a powerful new episode of her podcast, Raising the Next Generation, featuring global pop star and activist Leigh-Anne Pinnock. The two mothers shared an emotional and thought-provoking discussion about race, identity, life in the music industry, and their hopes for their daughters' futures.
Leigh-Anne candidly reflected on her own childhood experiences with self-perception, particularly concerning her hair. She recalled growing up in a predominantly non-multicultural primary school where she developed a "complex" about her natural hair, always wishing for long, straight hair like the other girls.
This experience now informs how she presents herself to her own children. Leigh-Anne revealed that she has stopped straightening her hair for two years. "I don’t wear my hair straight anymore around the girls... I don’t want them to see it... I want them to just love what they have."
Both women discussed the paramount importance of representation and cultural diversity when choosing schools for their children. Leigh-Anne admitted her main anxiety was her children not attending a multicultural school where their unique hair and features might make them feel isolated.
Fleur shared that she had the exact same concerns for her daughter, Nova, who recently started nursery. "For a lot of other parents that would never be a consideration," Fleur noted, emphasizing that she specifically looked for diversity in nurseries to prevent her daughter from feeling like she was "the only one that looks like her."
Leigh-Anne also touched on the legacy she wants to build for her daughters: "It’s wanting to show my girls what a strong, resilient woman looks like as well. Not just doing that for myself anymore—it’s for them."
The full, empowering episode of Raising the Next Generation is available now on all major podcast platforms, including Apple, Spotify, and the Rayo app.
