A Loss For Words

I haven't posted anything here about my daughter before. I have a variety of reasons for not doing so, mostly having to do with her privacy, which is why I probably won't ever post her photo here. I don't intend to make a habit of this, but something she said recently has been gnawing at me, and I feel this is as good a place as any to air my frustrations.
My daughter-Harper-is 7 years old, and started the 2nd grade a few weeks ago. Just a few weeks into the school year, and she's been tagged as being "weird" and is being picked on. Naturally, she is upset by this. How in hell do I handle it?
I love weirdness, hell, I'M weird. I knew it a long time ago, and accepted it and in most situations, I've learned to use it to my advantage. How do I tell this little girl, who wants nothing more than to be accepted, that she will get through this ok? That some of the greatest minds in history were thought of as weird? Everyone I've asked about this, friends and family alike, have been able to offer nothing more than the usual, "Oh, kids can be so cruel" or "Tell her to just be herself". Well, DUH, but that's not very useful, now, is it?
I'm clueless here. There's the option of telling her to change the way she acts, which goes against everything I believe in, but if it keeps her from being in tears, I will, even though there is nothing wrong with how she acts. Should I tell her to ignore it all, tell her that she doesn't need those little brats as friends? I could, and she will pretty much be cementing her status as an outcast for the rest of her school years. I got nothing here. The only thing this little girl is guilty of, is being able to think outside the box, and she's having to pay for it with her self esteem.