Singer and performer Frenchie Davis, best known for her successful appearances on American Idol and The Voice, is starring in a new video for Friend Movement, an organization started earlier this year "to prevent bullying... providing entertaining and educational resources, cultivating global partnerships, and leveraging the latest social media technology."
In the video, Davis discusses her personal experience with bullying, much of which stems from the fact that she is a plus-sized woman. She recounts an experience in high school, when she made the varsity cheer squad, but still faced judgment because she didn't look like the other girls, who were all sizes 2 or 4, she says. The bullying continued with her fame, and Davis says she's been on the cover of the National Enquirer twice, "for being fat." Even after being voted off the voice, Davis says she was tweeted by a random fan of the show, who said, "I told you America doesn't want you, so can you just go away now."
Openly bisexual, Davis says she has not only faced homophobia, but also prejudice from within the gay community. "Women in the lesbian community don't fully accept me because I'm still attracted to men, she says."
Despite these adversities, Davis encourages her fans to be who they are and stand up to bullying. She says that looking back, her advice to herself would be, "you just have to persevere and not allow ignorant people to make you feel like you need to apologize for who you are."
For more Friend Movement anti-bullying stories, including those of Rachel Dratch and Cloris Leachman, click here.
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