On-air sports journalist and fashion influencer Kayla Nicole delivered a heartfelt open message in response to the online hate she received because of her past with Travis Kelce.
For context, it's no secret her ex-boyfriend, Travis, a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, recently moved on to a new rumored relationship with Taylor Swift.
Unfortunately, Travis and Taylor's highly publicized relationship brought Kayla, 31, unwanted attention from online trolls, with some purported "Swifties" leaving hateful messages on her social media and some even negatively comparing her to Taylor.
Now, Kayla's responded to the "backlash" with a powerful message for Black girls on her Instagram, receiving praise from other celebrities and fans.
"It's always been really important for me to use my platform, not to create division, but to elevate and unite women, Black women specifically," Kayla began.
"Dear Black girl, they may call you a traitor for falling in love. You'll hope the ones closest will protect you, but you will quickly find out that people don't protect what they don't value. They'll say you're too much, too provocative, too boisterous, too outspoken, and in the same breath, tell you that you aren't enough."
Kayla continued, "They'll say you deserve the backlash and embarrassment. Because of your Blackness, you should have known better. They'll even try to tie your value to your net worth. But Black girl, please remember your value lies elsewhere. Your value is deep within your heart."
After expressing value in "resilience" and "willingness to forgive," she added it's important to protect and stand up for what means the most, even when it feels like others won't do the same.
Kayla urged to tap into this power to drown out the noise and silence the voices that feed into the "demoralizing and antiquated narrative."
In reflecting on the tribulations of relationships, Kayla added, "We love, we hurt, we heal," before including that "your story is yours to tell."
And finally, she ended the message with, "Most importantly, I want you to remember that you are loved. You are valued. You are allowed to take up space. You deserve protection and your feelings — they matter, too."
Many celebrities and fans showed praise and support for Kayla's message:
!["We [heart] u"](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2023-10/11/20/asset/52982caf6676/sub-buzz-2267-1697054848-1.png)
