Instagram/@masikakalysha
Masika Kalysha, who experienced a profound family loss, made an incredibly emotional request for her privacy and at the same time asked the press not to reveal anything until she herself could inform her daughters. The reality show star and mother disclosed her heartache through a video message saying that she needed to manage the situation in order to keep her little kids from hearing the bad news from their friends. Her request points out the very difficult-to-keep balance, that public figures, at least in the Western world, often have to keep between tragi-comedy and public exposure at times when the crisis is at its peak.
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Kalysha in her video message directly addressed the media, and her tone was at once respectful and urgent. “I’m aware that the blogs have a job to do,” she confessed. “I just request you to be very nice and hold your posting till I do, because unfortunately, my words do not take a long time to reach kids.” She was particularly anxious about her daughters learning through school friends whose parents might have seen online articles and thus sharing the confidential information with them. “Even though my children are not on social media, most of their friends are, and yes, all of their parents are, even the grandparents are!” she exclaimed. “I don’t want my kids to find out at school before I could tell them.”
The caption that accompanied her video was even more direct about her emotional state; it just read: “I am in shambles; please respect my family and my kids during this time.” This very sincere admission of grief resonated with her followers who immediately came to her with a huge wave of support and sympathy in the comment section.
Their compassion was overwhelming and the majority of them even viewed it from her perspective and recommended the same reporting rule: “Prayers up. Please be respectful everyone. Stop posting what happened until she is ready to speak.” One commenter emphasized that Kalysha should be the one to decide when such private news could be made public, and hencedrawing on the prayerful attitude that is typical of supporters who acknowledge the delicacy of the situation.
Another user, however, overtly pointed to the tragic circumstances Kalysha’s in, saying, “Awww this is so heartbreaking, she already has it hard with her first daughter’s father being incarcerated (Fetty). Now the second dad is gone I’m sorry Masika.” This comment referred to Kalysha’s past relationship with rapper Fetty Wap, who is currently serving a six-year sentence, thus it created anxiety as to why the family would find it especially devastating to cope with this latest loss.
People from Kalysha’s close circle and even strangers offered their support, with one person saying: “I’m so sorry for your loss. Last year I went through the same situation and believe me the pain is unbearable. I’m praying for your peace of mind and hoping you’ll be surrounded by love and support.” Such responses, filled with empathy, showed that Kalysha’s transparency had opened a window for real human interaction in her time of need.
However, not all comments were supportive. Someone pointed out that Kalysha’s filters in the video were unnecessary and asked: “The filter throws me off!!!!! She is so pretty why does she use them! #but condolences to you and the family!” Other followers immediately reacted against this comment and in the very same tone one person defended Kalysha’s right to choose how she deals with her mourning: “Everyone has their own way of grieving! Please don’t tell this lady what she can and can’t post on HER page! Just ignore it! Condolences!”
As another user who wrote “Too late the blogs posted already” put it, Kalysha is dealing with the practical problem of losing control over the information during the social media era. However, the majority of responses showed sympathy and support for her and indicated understanding of her being in a very tough position as a mother trying to shield her kids under circumstances no one can even imagine.
As social media continues to escalate the debate over the question of proper boundaries for public figures during their private tragedies, Kalysha’s insistence on specific considerations regarding her children’s welfare expressed so directly might set a precedent for how celebrities will deal with similar situations in the future. Her request might be taken as a recognition of the fact that media coverage is there, but at the same time, as an assertion of her primary role as a parent, whose job it is to deliver hard news to her daughters in the gentlest way possible.
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When the loss is unbearable, the very fundamental human needs like privacy and family protection become more important than the public profile, thus Kalysha’s brave request should be a reminder that there is always a person behind the public mask who is undergoing the same personal tragedy with the same basic concerns as anyone else. When she asks for space, she actually means a mother who does everything in her power to defend her children. In other news, Khari Barbie Cosmetics has been generating buzz.
