(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Vinny Guadagnino admits that he was "bullied" in school and feels compelled to speak out for the "underdogs".

Vinny did not have an ideal experience when he attended high school. Although the Jersey Shore star is now notorious for being popular with the ladies, 23-year-old Vinny admits that was not always confident around girls.

"I was bullied in high school by a lot of girls," Vinny told OK! at a Philip Norelco event in New York City. "I wasn't the least popular kid, but I wasn't the most popular kid, and high school kids are vicious sometimes, if you're not the most popular kid."

Bullying is an act that Vinny strongly discourages. He identifies with those who have suffered from schoolyard tormenting.

"I have strong feelings about anti-bullying. It's really bad now, especially with online, so I definitely got bullied when I was a kid and I know what it feels like," Vinny explained. "I'm stepping up for the underdogs."

Vinny's advice to bully victims is to remain resilient. According to Vinny being cool headed is a distinct advantage in this kind of situation.

"You can't let people affect you, and that's in life in general, whether it's your boss or your teacher or whatever," Vinny said. "You have to realize that people are mean because of their own problems, so you actually have to feel bad for those people. If you flip that around in your own head, it'll make it easier for you, because you actually become the one with the upper hand." (C) Cover Media