Kayla Malec is a well-known influencer who has recently gotten a lot more attention after she came out and spoke about the abuse of her previous relationship with Evan Johnson. 

The two met on a vacation in Nashville and Malec fell for him hard. She lived in California so she spent a lot of time and money flying back to Nashville just to see him. The red flags were shown almost immediately with Johnson screaming at her and accusing her of cheating on him with his best friend after only a month of knowing each other. The yelling and accusations of infidelity continued throughout their whole relationship and eventually Johnson decided to get physical. Johnson abused Malec both mentally and physically in as many ways as a person can be abused. She was pushed down stairs, beat, choked, spit on, kicked, and so much more but she continued fighting. If Malec did not get out of that relationship, she would have been killed.

An Anonymous interviewee states “I hope Kayla gets the justice she deserves.”

People often ask Domestic Violence survivors why they didn’t just leave after the first time it happened but it is not that simple. There are many reasons why a person can not bring themselves to leave their abuser ranging from financial dependence on the abuser to a hope that the abuser will change. For Malec, she truly believed that if she could be a good enough girlfriend Johnson would stop. No one truly understands what it is like to be a victim of abuse until they become the victim. Oftentimes abusers will use tactics like intimidation to stop their partner from leaving. Another common tactic is after an attack, the abuser will comfort the victim or do something extremely nice for them so they feel like they can’t leave. Abusers will also make the victim believe that the attack was their fault and blame the victim for making the abuser lash out.

Freshman Olivia Colemen states “I don’t think anyone should have to experience that (Domestic Violence) and I think offenders should be heavily punished.”

Domestic violence is a vicious cycle that can be passed down from generation to generation. Oftentimes kids who watch abuse between parents or are abused grow up to be the abusers, but anyone can break that cycle. 

Kayla Malec is a brave and strong person who told her story in hopes to prevent someone else from going through what she had to go through. If he lays his hands on you once, he will do it again. If you or someone you know is being abused call the Domestic Abuse Hotline at 800-799-7233.