teased

In the video for her song “Sunflower,” from her 2009 debut album, Famous, country singer Stacey Zegers presents a poignant anti-bullying message. A victim herself of childhood bullying, the 25-year-old London, Ontario resident hooked up with the free, anonymous counselling service Kids Help Phone to help others.

Directed by Edward Platero of Red Cat Films and shot in one take, the impactful video begins with a close-up on two hands holding a photo of a little girl wearing eyeglasses. The person puts the photo down to reveal a full shot of herself, a pretty heavily made-up blonde, Zegers, who then lifts a hand-written sign that reads, “When I was growing up I was bullied.”

Throughout the video, as she sings “Sunflower,” she begins removing her hair extensions, make-up and false eyelashes, as well as holding up other signs that tell her story and deliver statistics on bullying from Stats Canada, including “For every suicide completed, bewteen the ages of 15 to 24, 400 more were attempted.”