One of only three people in the world born with an unusual genetic ailment, Lizzie Velazquez fell victim to online bullying in the form of a YouTube video that labelled her as “The World’s Ugliest Woman.”
Receiving over 4 million page views before it caught her attention, Velazquez attempted to have the video removed. However, the person who posted it vowed to never take it down.
Instead of letting that get her down, Velasquez decided to take on the matter of bullying directly giving a series of talks (like the one below for TEDxYouth) granting numerous television interviews, and by publishing three books, including “Be Beautiful, Be You.”
Velasquez has also posted 194 videos recounting her journey on her YouTube page. On one such video she writes: “Living with this rare syndrome I know first hand what it’s like to be bullied. But I will be the first to say there is hope and it does get better! -Lizzie.”
You can watch her in action in the video below entitled How Do YOU Define Yourself Lizzie Velasquez at TEDxAustinWomen, followed by a couple of news clips featuring her story.
In a time when beauty is defined by supermodels, success is defined by wealth, and fame is deified by how many followers you have on social media, Lizzie Velasquez asks the question how do you define yourself? Once labeled, “The Worlds Ugliest Woman,” Lizzie decided to turn things around and create her own definitions of what she defines as beauty and happiness. SOURCE
CNN: 63-pound woman, Lizzie Velasquez can’t gain weight
What is beautiful?
- Source Links – August 29, 2020
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- Editorial Note – January 15, 2019
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