World's "Ugliest Girl on the Internet" Has This Amazing Message for Her Bullies
Lizzie Velasquez does not have body fat and cannot gain weight. A few years ago she discovered that internet bullies cruelly voted her the "ugliest girl on the Internet." Rising above her bullies, she has gone on to succeed greatly in life. Watch her give an amazingly moving speech that is a testament to her courage and emotional strength!
By Sadho Ram — 24 Jul 2013, 04:23 PM — Updated over 10 years ago
WATCH: Lizzie Velasquez, voted the Ugliest on the Internet, giving an amazingly emotional speech
About Lizzie Velásquez
Elizabeth Ann Velásquez, (born 13 March 1989) known as Lizzie Velásquez is an American woman whose extremely rare medical condition has led her to become an author and motivational speaker.
After years of misery and self doubt, Lizzie Velasquez, 23, from Austin, Texas, says she can finally shrug off the hurtful comments about her looks as 'just words'.
dailymail.co.ukThe bullying directed at Lizzie has included people dubbing her “The World’s Ugliest Woman” and spreading meme images using her photos around message boards. She has received emails telling her to commit suicide from full-grown adults, not simply bored kids.
thegloss.com
"I felt like some sort of monster," she said, recalling her first day of kindergarten. "I never told anyone how bad I was being picked on because I was embarrassed. When I would take a bath at night, that's when I would cry."
go.comLizzie doesn't take medication but she relies on vitamin supplements and iron to stay healthy. It is thought she should be able to conceive naturally without passing the condition to her children.
dailymail.co.ukHer first published work was her co-authored and self-published autobiography released in 2010. Her second book, Be Beautiful, Be You (2012), advocates informing people that appearance doesn't matter, and that one should love oneself for what one is.
Lizzie was born without adipose tissue
Lizzie has a condition that is so rare that only two other people are known to have it. She has zero percent body fat, and has never weighed more than 27 kg. Although not anorexic, she is unable to gain weight and is required to eat many small meals throughout the day.
The rare condition still baffles doctors and is thought to affect just two other people worldwide.
dailymail.co.ukShe is blind in her right eye which began to cloud over when she was four years of age, and has limited vision in the other. She has a weak immune system. Her condition is similar to many other conditions, especially progeria.
Lizzie was born four weeks prematurely weighing just 2lb 10oz. Doctors found there was minimal amniotic fluid protecting her in the womb. At the age of two she was still only 15lbs - the same as the average five-month-old baby.
dailymail.co.ukShe has some progeroid physical characteristics, such as the pointed nose and already aging skin, but she has additional problems beyond that diagnostic classification.
