‘World’s Ugliest Woman’ Lizzie Velasquez Wants Anti-Bullying Movie To Bring Hope To Bullying Victims
Over the past few months, Lizzie Velasquez has inspired millions with her TED Talk. The inspiration of hope for so many, who was given the insulting label of “the world’s ugliest woman,” hopes to even reach a wider audience through an anti-bullying documentary about her life story.
According to The Huffington Post, Lizzie Velasquez has a rare disease that makes it impossible for her to gain weight. She has never weight more than 64 pounds. The disease is also responsible for her blindness in one eye. It is because of this condition that Lizzie Velasquez has been bullied. It is amazing she hasn’t lost hope, especially since at one time, she was considered as “the world’s ugliest woman.” Nevertheless, she is coming out strong. The documentary would actually be a visual example for hope as she stated:
“I know what it is to be bullied and what is to be bullied online, and I want to be the protector of those who think it won’t get better.”
Right now, Lizzie Velasquez is raising money for the film. At this moment, it is simply known as The Lizzie Project. It is being organized through a Kickstarter campaign and has already collected over $160,000 by the publication of this article. The campaign vido, which is shown below, ends on May 31. The goal is to raise $180,000. Personally, I hope Lizzie Velasquez reaches her goal, which I believe she will. She is less than $20,000 away.
The Epoch Times has included some extra information on Lizzie Velasquez, specifically how everything came up to this point. She was born in Austin, Texas in 1989 with a syndrome so rare that only two other people in the world have it. This syndrome also makes it so that she has to eat approximately every 15 minutes.
Lizzie Velasquez gained inspirational celebrity status on December 5, 2013 when her TED Talk in Austin became a hit. In her speech, Lizzie explained that her life changed when a YouTube video titled, “The World’s Ugliest Woman” was uploaded. When she saw the video, and the senseless and hurtful comments that came with it, she did something that wouldn’t be considered the norm. Lizzie Velasquez chose to be happy as explained below:
“Instead of just taking shelter of my tears, I chose to be happy and realized this syndrome is not a problem, but a blessing that allows me to improve myself and inspire other people.”
Since then, Lizzie Velasquez has written three self-help books, graduated from college, and gained thousands of followers on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. She’s been interviewed by Katie Couric and was on The View with Barbara Walters and Whoopi Goldberg.
Probably the most inspirational part of Lizzie Velasquez’s journey is her acceptance, to the point where she now owns her condition. She even verified she wouldn’t even consider a cure for her syndrome in the following statement:
“No, there is no way, I wouldn’t even consider it. If you had asked me that question when I was 13, I’d probably have said yes. I’d be all for it. I’d do the trial, whatever. But if you ask me that now, I’ve learned and I’ve come such a long way to be able to accept who I am and own who I am that, if I changed anything about me, I wound’t be Lizzie, I wound’t be true to myself.”
[Image via Lizzie Velasquez Official Website]