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American Lizzie Velazquez from Austin was awarded the title of “the ugliest girl in the world.” But do you think it broke her?
Lizzie became the victim of severe cyberbullying: thousands of Internet users mocked and mocked her appearance. The selfless girl did not withdraw into herself, but decided to help other people who are being bullied. Now Lizzie writes books on psychology, speaks at various symposiums and participates in television shows, urging people to love themselves and not be afraid of difficulties. And we have collected several interesting facts about this fragile and selfless girl.
- Lizzie's appearance is the result of a rare genetic disease - Wiedemann-Rautenstrauch syndrome.
- Her body does not absorb fat at all, because of this the girl cannot gain weight more than 29 kilograms. In addition, her immune system is weakened, causing Lizzie to go blind in one eye. This disease also accelerates the aging process of the body. At 26, Lizzie looks decades older. Only three people on the planet suffer from this disease.
- In addition to Lizzie, there is an Englishwoman, Amanda, who is already over 30, and a young American, Abigail. Lizzie eats 60 times a day!
- She eats every 15 minutes - this is a vital necessity. She eats very high-calorie foods - chips, ice cream, chocolate. If any of us ate like Lizzie, he would have long ago become the fattest person on the planet. But this increased nutrition doesn’t help Lizzie much; she doesn’t gain weight at all. With a height of 152 cm, Lizzie weighs 29 kilograms.
- And at birth she weighed only 900 grams. The doctors were sure that she would not survive, and if she did survive, she would be a “vegetable” - she would never be able to speak or walk. They were wrong. When she was 18, she saw a video of herself called “The Scariest Woman” in the World.
- Lizzie had 4 cherished dreams, three of which she realized: graduate from college, write a book, become a motivational speaker and have a big family.
- For now, family is the only thing on the agenda. The other three dreams came true: she graduated from university, wrote several books on psychology and constantly speaks at conferences and on various television shows, helping people gain self-confidence. She is an excellent speaker.
- “If you want to offend me, stand to my right – I can’t see with my right eye.”
- She made a documentary about her life: Braveheart: The Lizzie Velazquez Story. She has a loving family: parents and younger brother and sister.
- “I love my parents more than I can express in words.”
- “I realized that I didn’t really want to recover from this syndrome. If the doctor found a magic pill that would help me gain weight, I wouldn't want to take it. All this struggle made me who I am today."
The video of her performance, posted on YouTube, has been viewed more than 9 million times. Lizzie is not without wit and self-irony. In this speech she said:
After Lizzie was born, doctors recommended that her parents not have any more children, fearing that she might again be born disabled, but her parents did not listen to the doctors. Lizzie's brother and sister are absolutely healthy. Lizzie's family is extremely supportive.
She accepts herself as she is and doesn’t really want to get better.
Recently, another offensive Lizzie meme appeared on the Internet. On her photo it was written:
“Michael said we would meet behind this tree. He’s late: can someone tag him in the photo and tell him I’m still waiting?” The girl reacted to this insult with dignity, she posted a photo on her page in social network
and wrote:
“No matter what we look like or what size we wear, at the end of the day we are all human. I ask you to remember this when you see memes like this."
One day, Lizzie Velazquez found in her mailbox a link to a short video called “The Scariest Woman in the World.” The video has received more than 4 million views and thousands of comments - mostly vile. Lizzie was in the video - only 8 seconds.
Lizzie was born with an unusual syndrome - her body does not digest fats. In order not to die, she needs to eat every 15 minutes. Now her height is 152 cm, and her weight is only 25 kg. She is blind in one eye. Her body is so fragile that any disease can be fatal to her.
When she was born, her parents were told that the girl would not be able to walk and would not speak. She is a freak and will never achieve anything in her life. “Better refuse!” - They didn’t refuse. Her parents took Lizzie home and raised her as an ordinary child. In kindergarten, she realized that she was different from other children. But it was not a tragedy. She knew how to laugh, she was a leader, she participated in all children's activities and holidays. Imagine Lizzie – as a cheerleader – at the top of the pyramid 🙂 With a smile from ear to ear.
Lizzie with her family
A serious crisis happened when Lizzie was 18. That's when she received that video. To say that she felt bad is to say nothing. She felt humiliated. She felt like a freak. First time in life.
“I had a choice,” she says. Become happy or fall apart and admit defeat. I chose the first one. This is reasonable, right? Everyone wants to be happy!
Lizzie promised herself 4 things: she would graduate from college, write a book, become a motivational speaker, and have a big family. Lizzie is now 24 years old. She graduated with a degree, her third book is coming out, and she speaks at conferences and seminars. No family yet. “But I’m still so young,” Lizzie says. And smiles.
Lizzie is unique. In all senses. Some thoughts. From her.
WITH good people real shit can happen. If something bad happens, it’s easy to start beating yourself up: maybe it’s my fault? I did something wrong. This is punishment. But no! There is no need to prove to yourself and others that it is not your fault and make excuses. Just accept the fact that sometimes bad things happen. Not fair? - Certainly! Shit happens! - it's nothing you can do.
Doctors don't know how to cure Lizzie
Your worth is not measured by what others say and think about you. When I received that video,” says Lizzie, “in addition to humiliation and sadness, I experienced a fit of indignation. The people who made the video and those who left dirty and obscene comments knew absolutely nothing about me. What kind of person am I? What I can. What I feel. I am a good person. I know that I can do a lot for other people. And they looked at me from only one side - from the point of view of my appearance, ignoring everything else.
Never let anyone label you. No matter what anyone says about you, only you know what you are capable of and what you are like. Set the bar high and strive for it. The dogs bark, the caravan moves on.
It is useless to respond to aggression with aggression. When you get hit, you want to hit back. But by responding with evil for evil, you only increase the negative energy around you. It is unlikely that this will bring you happiness.
Your achievements will be your best response to offenders. Let the insults and hatred of those who do not love you not drag you down, but push you forward. Prove those who don't believe in you wrong. Let your achievements put those who laughed at you to shame.
Difficulties and trials - necessary condition growth. Without challenges, we would never reach the top or peaks. They help us learn, change and become better.
A loving family means a lot. Parents who believe in their child, no matter what he is, are doing a great job. They build in him self-confidence, the ability to cope with failures and move on.
Make flaws your weapon. My “ugliness”, my illness makes me stronger. They help me be convincing. Actually, they became mine business card, my distinctive sign. People see me and believe me. A man with such a face knows what he's talking about :)
You must face your own demons. I thought I was going to die when I saw the video. I was called the scariest woman in the world. I cried for several days. And then I watched the video again. And further. I watched it for so long that it stopped tormenting me. I saw comments and heard ridicule, but I was absolutely calm.
Always choose happiness. Without hesitation!
Lizzie is currently working on a project to help people who are ridiculed. Because they are not like those around them. Lizzie, I'm with you! Well done!
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Rules of life from the most terrible woman in the world: 94 comments
- 4ebik
Oh!!! Thanks for posting! I watched the video and burst into tears. What a wonderful woman Lizzie is!
- Manya
SHIT HAPPENS! Yes:(
- Lisa
Cool girl! This is not Carnegie, who makes lemonade out of lemons, but an order of magnitude cooler!!-)
- Natasha Aistova
Thank you for the article! Amazing story!
- Nina
The first reaction really is “how can I unsee this”! Lizzie is great because she teaches people not to judge by appearance, but to look deeper. And you can also learn from her optimism and the ability to turn your shortcomings into advantages)
- N.B.
As soon as nature does not mock people! It's good that you can survive this
- Sunny
Thank you! Amazing!
- Gregory Skoblo
Yes, there are worse people...
I've traveled halfway around the world and believe me there are such freaks that this Liz is still a beauty compared to them :)) - Maria*******
Her appearance didn’t cause me any negative emotions, but I just wondered who it was) thanks to her parents for not abandoning her no matter what and raising her to be such a wonderful and amazing person) respect!
- Julia
No, to say that she is not scary is too much. Scary. But great job!
- Dmitriy P
Hmmm. Beauty is just certain features in appearance accepted by society and at a certain time. They used to be beautiful fat women, in body. For Africans, beauty lies in a long neck or some kind of tattoos or scars on the face. So don’t talk about beauty so affirmatively, it’s conditional. In fact, people are scary when they do vile and terrible things. And they can look like “beauty queens.”
- Julia
Come on. In no culture can a woman weighing 25 kg be considered beautiful or even just normal. With all due respect to Lizzie...
- Alla
WELL, IT'S SO NICE TO HEAR NORMAL PEOPLE WITH POSITIVE ORIENTATIONS, SENSITIVE HEARTS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SMART, KIND COMMENT. AH IF THERE WERE MORE PEOPLE LIKE YOU, LIFE WOULD BE MUCH MORE INTERESTING
- Alla
DMITRY, I ADDRESSED MY COMMENT TO YOU
- Kamila
I read it and remembered it. I'm dark-skinned. As a child, when we were studying, they called me black. They didn’t take me on stage, I wasn’t suitable for the Snow Maiden because of the color of my skin... And now I’m 54 years old, I always think that I’m black and consider myself ugly. Lizzie is smart.
I still couldn’t say that complexion is not something you always think about and humiliate yourself. If I am in a society in which there are fair people, I consider myself humiliated. Although in life I am concerned about my complexion, I always have to consider myself last place
- Julia
- Natalia
It’s not that she’s scary, but what’s scary is that there is such a disease and doctors can’t cure it... And Lizzie is great. It's not Lizzie that's scary, it's the scary people - the freaks who made hurtful comments!!! Mental freaks!
- BELLA
LIZY IS AN EXAMPLE OF WAY TO FAGHT FOR LIFE!SHE IZ SWEET,CLEVER,WARMHEATED-I THINK THAT LIZI IS A VERY INTERESTING LADY!WISH LIZY TO BE HAPPY!
- Dmitriy P
- Olga
I completely agree with you.
- LOVE
This girl has a beautiful heart, and this is more important than appearance, I wish you happiness and success, girl, and your parents are great for being able to raise you like this.
- Julia
- Dee
A strong woman whose beauty comes from within!)
- Alexander Bannikov
A very positive person and a wonderful woman!!
I would like to hear what she says in Russian))
Can anyone give me a link? - Olga Ananyeva
Always choose happiness. Without hesitation! and it doesn't matter what kind of face you have. Lizzie! you are well done.
- Kate
Lizzie, you're just great! And I believe that you have already overcome the most difficult period! And it doesn’t matter what you look like, what matters is what you are like inside! I'm very happy for you!
- Galina-Gala
There are people who are very beautiful, but they are untalented. I didn't find any flaw in this woman. It's not nature's fault that she gave birth to her this way. The main thing is that this woman lives, contrary to the laws, and God grant that she lives even more. Why children are born with pathologies, scientists probably cannot fully explain this, although of course, now we know a lot... But ALL THESE ARE GENES - science is still studying all this. I would really like to hear what she says, because the reaction of the audience is friendly, which means this woman has humor, without complexes. It is very important to overcome your complexes. Not everyone is capable of this. People - look and admire them, don’t pass by, if someone needs help - help and do it from the bottom of your heart. Believe that it is not beauty that will save the world, but kindness. Be kinder, live in harmony and peace. AND EVERYONE WILL BE OK THEN!
- Heliga
There are spiritual monsters who can insult, humiliate, say whatever they want in order to make a person more painful! But there are people who are not outwardly attractive, but how much warmth, hope, support, and wisdom come from them! People, learn to be spiritually beautiful, love each other, shine with your inner beauty! Good luck everyone!
- Nina
There is nothing so scary about this woman. if you do not look at her appearance with partiality.
A daughter-in-law from Velikiye Luki once appeared in my life, she looked very attractive and polite, but then the worst thing that can happen in a person appeared... All the abomination was in only one outwardly beautiful woman... She destroyed my family, morally corrupted my son, and I lost him. But she has been watching Dom2 every day for many years, and her little son is watching it. All the abomination was absorbed by this Elena, who screams obscenities every day not only at her husband, but also at her very little son. They have already gotten used to it... And thank God, now I don’t see this family at all... Although I feel sorry for them. I pray to God to fix this, but a person has a choice... So this is a real tragedy. And the TV show Dom2 is such an abomination... how is it that it still hurts people like that?! - Ekaterina Pokrovskaya
I didn't find her very scary either. I was very surprised when I read her “title”. Intelligence and humor greatly transform a face.
- P
the worst? I wonder what you would say if you saw me
- Karen Robertovich Kocharyan
Thank you for this material. There is so much evil and dirt around that we miss kindness. People put a spoke in each other's wheels, they are filled with meanness, anger and it's painfully offensive that they get pleasure from all this. I don't want to believe that this is the beginning of the end. We must overcome ourselves and fight evil, fight like Lizzie does. Don't respond with evil for evil, and try to change everything around with your work and love for others. Smile more... And to top it all off, my short story from the book “THANK YOU”
Thank you people for all your actions...
You do good, give each other a helping hand - THANK YOU! The roots of evil, envy and hypocrisy are deeply ingrained in you - again, THANK YOU! -???? Yes, don’t be surprised... If there were no evil, we wouldn’t know that there is good... But there is still more good in the world, and even if it gradually gives way to its positions, there is no need to fight evil, it does not need to prove anything... Total two words, FORGIVE, and, GOODBYE... Such people don’t need to explain anything, prove anything... USELESS... You don’t even need to feel sorry for them... They just need to forgive and let them go away from themselves, be it a family member or a stranger... And in general pity is the lowest feeling. A person who has turned into a pathetic creature is trying to prove to the world that he is the most unfortunate. And no matter how hard it is for you, try to smile and relief will immediately come. The Lord has prepared all troubles and difficulties for mere mortals. And even If you are standing on the edge of an abyss, try, smile and thereby you can disperse the storm clouds hanging over your head.
People, people... Love each other... LOVE IN YOUR LIFE!!! Try to look into each other's eyes and say the most valuable words, I LOVE YOU!!!,... This love is necessary for everyone and is necessary in life. And if you are mourning someone, stop and think, is it worth it? After all, just recently he was you don't care. Better stop and remember - IT'S A SIN!!! Sometimes in the crazy cycle of life we do not notice the most important thing - the KINDNESS OF THE HUMAN SOUL and only in difficult moments of life do you feel it, understand who is who... And it becomes much easier for you when goodness surrounds you. And then you smile and are filled with faith. No evil, hypocrisy, envy or ignorance can break through this shell of good. SO GIVE GOOD TO EACH OTHER, PEOPLE!!! AND SAVE THIS MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD, - Anya
The most amazing thing in this story is that the parents were able to raise Lizzie as a happy, active, self-confident person! After all, before that unfortunate video, although she knew that she was different from others, she did not see this as a tragedy. While millions of parents manage to convince their completely normal children that they are ugly, fat, stupid, lazy and God knows what else! “You can’t grow your hair, it’s thin.” “Don’t wear short skirts, you have fat legs.” “Three again? Idiot!" “All children are like children, and you... (fill in as necessary).” But parental love and support works wonders :)
- Love
How kind inner world this girl! It is not beauty that will save the world, but kindness. Many handsome men and beauties still need to envy Lizzie. All that glitters is not gold.
- Valentina
God bless Lizzie! She is a person with a big and mature soul! Let all those who have taken up arms against her envy her and let them finally understand that Lizzie is taller than them, cute and flirtatious ones! And thanks to her parents for their daughter.
- Rosalia
What matters is what's inside. Lizzie is very strong man. God does not give such tests to the weak. I believe that there will be a life partner who will see great beauty in her.
- Catherine
Amazing woman! How sometimes you want to have such people around, to teach you how to live, enjoy life and achieve new heights! Thanks to Lizzie and people like her! She is happy and that's the main thing!
- Kifal
Yeah) her other half with the same beautiful soul. Shrek and Fiona come to mind...)))
- Anna Belova
I watched the video and tears flowed. Smart girl!
- Angela.
If I'm honest. I thought it was after an unsuccessful operation. Some kind of model. Definitely not a freak
- Gulnara
It is a great merit of the parents that the child grew up happy and was able to develop into a personality. The true love of the parents gave her the strength to fight. Thanks to them. We need to learn to love from them.
- Louise
Is Lizzie really scary?! She is a beautiful soul! We must learn to live from her, to enjoy every day... then there would be no evil on earth. Why be surprised...what kind of parents and children are like. They are strong and Lizzie was given these powers. Low bow to them, thank you for your kindness and love.
- Sapiyat
Yes, it’s true what people say: “Don’t drink water off your face.” External beauty is fleeting, but spiritual beauty is eternal! Good luck Lizzie! And long life to the parents!
- Galia
Thank you for the great story of a great fragile woman.
- Dina
Boldly forward! Well done!
- Leila
Strong in spirit! Well done! Keep it up!
- Razilya
Health and happiness to you!
- Anya
Good girl! God bless her with health, good luck and strength!
- Smilejpg
Read more about Johnny Baima aka Goddess Bunny.
- Svetlana
Didn't cause any negative emotions at all appearance girls. And the strength and beauty of the spirit makes you think about a lot. It is surprising and saddening to see with what joy people accept internal deformities hidden under a glamorous vanilla appearance. It is a pity that only in fairy tales do roses and pearls fly from the lips of dirty women at every word, and toads and vipers from the lips of false beauties. If it were like this in life, how much cleaner the world would become!
- Lydia
Thank you, Lizzie! Low bow to parents. Millionth, billionth proof that the value and beauty of a person comes from within! Be happy, Lizzie!
- Elena
God bless you Lizzie and your parents! You have a lot to learn, although you are still so young! Good luck to you in life!
Rules of life from the most terrible woman in the world, which will show you how to forget about everyone and LIVE!
“No matter what we look like or what size we wear, at the end of the day we are all human. I ask you to remember this when you see memes like this."
“Lord, how she lives, with such and such a face,” people wrote. “Lizzie, kill yourself,” they advised. “How can I unsee this?”
Lizzie was born with an unusual syndrome - her body does not digest fats. In order not to die, she needs to eat every 15 minutes. Now her height is 152 cm, and her weight is only 25 kg. She is blind in one eye. Her body is so fragile that any disease can be fatal to her.
When she was born, her parents were told that the girl would not be able to walk and would not speak. She is a freak and will never achieve anything in her life. “Better refuse!” - They didn’t refuse. Her parents took Lizzie home and raised her as an ordinary child. In kindergarten, she realized that she was different from other children. But it was not a tragedy. She knew how to laugh, she was a leader, she participated in all children's activities and holidays. Imagine Lizzie - as a cheerleader - at the top of the pyramid with a smile from ear to ear.
A serious crisis happened when Lizzie was 18. That's when she received that video. To say that she felt bad is to say nothing. She felt humiliated. She felt like a freak. First time in life.
“I had a choice,” she says. Become happy or fall apart and admit defeat. I chose the first one. This is reasonable, right? Everyone wants to be happy!
Lizzie promised herself 4 things: she would graduate from college, write a book, become a motivational speaker, and have a big family. Lizzie is now 24 years old. She graduated with a degree, her third book is coming out, and she speaks at conferences and seminars. No family yet. “But I’m still so young,” Lizzie says. And smiles.
Lizzie is unique. In all senses. Some thoughts. From her.
Real shit can happen to good people. If something bad happens, it’s easy to start beating yourself up: maybe it’s my fault? I did something wrong. This is punishment. But no! There is no need to prove to yourself and others that it is not your fault and make excuses. Just accept the fact that sometimes bad things happen. Not fair? - Certainly! Shit happens! - it's nothing you can do.
Your worth is not measured by what others say and think about you. When I received that video,” says Lizzie, “in addition to humiliation and sadness, I experienced a fit of indignation. The people who made the video and those who left dirty and obscene comments knew absolutely nothing about me. What kind of person am I? What I can. What I feel. I am a good person. I know that I can do a lot for other people. And they looked at me from only one side - from the point of view of my appearance, ignoring everything else.
Never let anyone label you. No matter what anyone says about you, only you know what you are capable of and what you are like. Set the bar high and strive for it. The dogs bark, the caravan moves on.
It is useless to respond to aggression with aggression. When you get hit, you want to hit back. But by responding with evil for evil, you only increase the negative energy around you. It is unlikely that this will bring you happiness.
Your achievements will be your best response to offenders. Let the insults and hatred of those who do not love you not drag you down, but push you forward. Prove those who don't believe in you wrong. Let your achievements put those who laughed at you to shame.
Difficulties and challenges are a necessary condition for growth. Without challenges, we would never reach the top or peaks. They help us learn, change and become better.
A loving family means a lot. Parents who believe in their child, no matter what he is, are doing a great job. They build in him self-confidence, the ability to cope with failures and move on.
Make flaws your weapon. My “ugliness” makes me stronger. They help me be convincing. Actually, they became my calling card, my distinctive sign. People see me and believe me. A man with such a face knows what he's talking about
You must face your own demons. I thought I was going to die when I saw the video. I was called the scariest woman in the world. I cried for several days. And then I watched the video again. And further. I watched it for so long that it stopped tormenting me. I saw the comments and heard the ridicule, but I was absolutely calm.
Always choose happiness. Without hesitation!
Lizzie is currently working on a project to help people who are ridiculed. Because they are not like those around them. Lizzie, I'm with you! Well done!
What is it like for a young girl to turn on her laptop one day and find out that thousands of Internet users have dubbed you the ugliest woman in the world, and the wittiest of them have advised you to commit suicide? The answer is known only to 26-year-old Lizzie Velasquez, who, to put it mildly, does not shine with beauty, but is not at all to blame for this. She certainly didn't want worldwide fame, but bullying and ridicule prompted her to tell the world about her life. The girl made a confessional documentary, which was recently presented at the South by Southwest film festival in Texas, where Velasquez lives.
Film "Braveheart: The Lizzie Velazquez Story" ( A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story) tells the story of the life of an unusual American woman from birth to the present day. Lizzie was born with a rare syndrome (the disease does not even have any name in medicine) - she cannot gain normal weight, now this adult woman is only 29 kilograms. There are only three such people in the whole world, and doctors don’t know how to cure them.
She was born weighing 0.9 kilograms. Doctors warned her parents that she would never be able to walk or talk, and also advised them not to give birth to any more children - otherwise she would become disabled again. The Velazquezes sent the advice of the Aesculapians to hell and gave birth to another girl, completely healthy, and raised and educated the eldest as best they could, although not without difficulties.
“They were staring at us all, pointing fingers. But gradually we kind of got used to it,” recalls Marina Velasquez, younger sister"Scary Lizzie"
Lizzie, of course, was teased a lot at school - children are children, and here the reason was more than obvious: the girl was not only unnaturally thin, but also blind in one eye. But she had to face a real nightmare only in adolescence.
YouTube as an executioner
When Velasquez was 17, someone posted a video of her on YouTube, in which the "world's ugliest" label was first used.
The mocking video about Lizzie has received four million views.
One of the commentators then wrote, addressing Velasquez: “Do the world a favor - shoot yourself.” Another called her a monster, a third advised Lizzie's parents to "finish IT off" and argued that they should have had an abortion...
It is unknown how many such comments Lizzie read, but it’s not hard to imagine how she felt. “Of course, I cried my eyes out. But then I decided to calm down,” she recalls.
Toughie
Velasquez neither shot herself, as she was advised online, nor hid from everyone, but decided that she had to protect herself and other people who were ridiculed because of their appearance.
She launched a campaign to combat bullying of people who are different. These were both videos and offline performances. For example, in 2013, Lizzie gave a speech at the TED Austin Women festival in her native Texas. This was not a plaintive monologue. The girl, as it turned out, is a pretty good speaker with a pleasant voice, and is not without a sense of humor and self-irony. She briefly told the audience about her illness, accompanied by funny details: she recalled, for example, how as a teenager she hoped to gain weight by eating donuts at night (of course, nothing came of this).
“I always ask: if you are going to offend me and say nasty things, stand to my right - I just can’t see you with this eye,” Velasquez jokes.
In her speeches, the girl insists that she did everything to learn to perceive her syndrome not as a curse, but as the key to self-improvement and inspiration of other people. Lizzie manages to find something positive even in her own appearance.
“Of course I look terrible, but I have really nice hair,” she says.
In September 2014, Velazquez had the opportunity to speak in front of a really serious audience - the American Congress. She helped lobby for a bill to protect American schoolchildren from bullying by classmates in educational institutions countrywide. The bill was prepared by the Republican Party, but it was Lizzie who made the speech about its importance to the statesmen in Washington.
Response
Velasquez was supported by many people around the world, and not only in word, but also in deed. Having decided to make a documentary about her life, she announced it on the crowdfunding portal Kickstarter. The amount required was quite large: 180 thousand dollars. However, they collected even more - almost 215 thousand dollars.
3,564 people from 16 countries donated money for the filming of a film about Lizzie.
Lizzie today
She fulfilled her dream - she entered the University of Texas and graduated with success. She has written three books on psychology for those who want to find the strength to cope with the unfairly cruel attitude of others. A lot of spectators came to the premiere of her film in Texas, among them were those who studied with Lizzie at school. Perhaps the film will be shown in other countries, but when is not yet known.
Lizzie Velasquez was born on March 13, 1989 in the American town of Austin. The girl was diagnosed with congenital lipodystrophy, which prevents the deposition of adipose tissue. Lizzie has no body fat at all, literally skin and bones. Only three such cases are known in the world.
This disease also causes premature aging. Lizzie has to eat high-calorie foods many times a day to maintain her body's energy levels. The girl is also blind in one eye and has limited vision in the other eye.
Childhood
Since childhood, Lizzie was constantly bullied and teased by her peers. She says her parents and faith in God helped her stay strong and treat people well.
“I liked being alone, praying, talking to God and knowing that He cares about me,”- said Lizzie.
She noted that her parents love her and always support her in everything.
Lizzie didn't know she was different from other kids until she went to kindergarten. The children did not want to sit next to her and pointed their fingers at her.
The girl told her parents about this, but they reassured their daughter: “There’s nothing wrong with you, you’re just smaller than other kids. You are beautiful, smart and you will achieve what you want.”
"They loved me no matter what"- says Lizzie.
At school, the girl wrote articles and took photographs for the school wall newspaper. And in high school she joined the cheerleading team and wore her uniform with pride.
“I wanted to look like everyone else, to fit into the team, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t blame the doctors or my parents, so I blamed myself.”- she said.
At 17, Lizzie came across a YouTube video that advertised her as “the ugliest woman in the world.” The video became very popular and the comments section was filled with hurtful remarks.
“I felt like I was being hit through a computer screen. I cried my eyes out"- recalls Lizzie.
Lizzie has grown up
She eventually became a writer and wrote three self-help books. The last book, published in 2014, is called “Braveheart. The Story of Lizzie Velazquez”, and in 2015 a documentary film with the same name was released.
Lizzie is part of the government's anti-bullying program and her performances at events have been very inspiring.
Lizzie is a brave and hardworking girl. She is no longer ashamed of her appearance. She has a good friend whom she is dating, but Lizzie puts work first.
“No matter what we look like or what size we are, we are all human. I ask you to remember this when you see an offensive post from a random stranger. You may find it funny, but the person in the photo is probably feeling the opposite. Spread love online, don't offend anyone."- Lizzie wrote on Facebook.
