diff --git a/apps/menu.c b/apps/menu.c
index b6d95a5..eb693d7 100644
--- a/apps/menu.c
+++ b/apps/menu.c
@@ -363,6 +363,12 @@ int do_menu(const struct menu_item_ex *start_menu, int *start_selected,
     int stack_top = 0;
     bool in_stringlist, done = false;
     struct viewport *vps = NULL;
+
+    /* force drawing the statusbar because in plugins the old content
+     * shows through otherwise and looks ugly */
+    if (!hide_bars)
+        gui_syncstatusbar_draw(&statusbars, true);
+
 #ifdef HAVE_BUTTONBAR
     struct gui_buttonbar buttonbar;
     gui_buttonbar_init(&buttonbar);