Paris Jackson’s cousin has given credence to reports she may have been the victim of bullying.
Michael Jackson’s 15-year-old daughter was taken to hospital June 5 after reportedly cutting herself with a knife and overdosing on Ibuprofen.
Reports suggested the teen felt no one but her late father understood her and that she suffered cruel taunts at the hands of her peers.
Days after the apparent suicide attempt her cousin, Austin Brown, is speaking out against bullying.
"There's so many kids being bullied and being pressured into things, and they're not really able to express who they are and to really be themselves,” he told E! News.
Austin said he sympathises with anyone who is targeted by their peers.
The 27-year-old son of Michael Jackson’s sister Rebbie has been a victim of bullying himself and wants kids to know it gets better.
"Being a kid in Southern California, you listen to different music, you dress different, your family may do something differently,” he said. "Kids are going to find really harsh and mean things to say. So, you've just got to create that rhinoceros skin and keep it pushing.”
Austin has now become part of the Friend Movement’s The New F Word campaign. The organisation’s mission is to stop bullying.
“…We're trying to raise awareness on really just to be nice to people, really be able to express who you are, be who you want to be and just live life as honest as possible and not have to worry about people judging you,” Austin explained.
Paris Jackson is meanwhile seeking “intense therapy” as she continues her recovery.
According to E!, she’s been attending sessions regularly at UCLA Medical Center.
“She has a couple weeks of very intense therapy [ahead of her] before anything else happens,” a source said, adding, “Where she does it all depends on the best place.”
