23-year old Lizzie Velasquez had been called the world’s ugliest woman when she was just in high school. Born with a rare medical condition where her body has no adipose tissue and cannot create muscle or gain weight, Lizzie was tormented on youtube in an eight-second long video. Cyber bullies from all across the globe have even gone to the extent of asking her to kill herself.
Instead of letting it get to her and heading into a world of depression, Lizzie stood her ground and decided to fight back.With what? Pure grit. She is now a motivational speaker, having given over 200 workshops on embracing uniqueness, dealing with bullies and overcoming obstacles. She is a student of the Texas State University and has come out with a book titled Be beautiful, Be you.
Lizzie’s condition is very rare and according to doctors, she may have a condition called Neonatal Progeriod Syndrome. It is a condition, which leads to premature ageing but is quite different from diseases like Progeria.
She believes nasty comments made by people who judge her are ‘just words’. “God made me the way I am for a reason and I would never change that,” she writes. “I lead a normal life as much as possible and deal with the bumps in the road as they come along with my head held high and a smile on my face! I’m human, and of course these things are going to hurt. Their judgment of me isn't who I am, and I’m not going to let these things define me.”
“I didn’t sink down to their level,” she said in a follow-up video on YouTube last year. “Instead, I got my revenge through my accomplishments and determination. In the battle between the ‘World's Ugliest Woman’ video vs. me, I think I won.”