The story of Lizzie Velásquez – this is her today in 2024

Everyone faces struggles with their looks and self-esteem.

Being tormented can break anyone’s heart and mind, but Lizzie was confident these people wouldn’t win. She’s now a motivational speaker.

Imagine being called “The Ugliest Woman/Man in the World” at 16. There’s even a video of you with the text “The Ugliest Woman/Man in the World” attached. The video has hundreds of thousands of views, and people say horrible things about you in the comments.

This was Lizzie Velásquez’s reality. She was teased at school and online, and it could have broken her.

But Lizzie had other ideas. She decided to turn these negative vibes into something positive. We love her and want to share her inspiring story.

Lizzie Velásquez was born in Austin, Texas, on March 13, 1989.

At birth, she weighed only 2 pounds and 11 ounces. From the start, it was clear she looked different from other babies.

Lizzie was born with two rare conditions: Marfan syndrome and lipodystrophy. Her rare genetic conditions affect her heart, eyes, and bones. They also prevent her from gaining weight because of a problem with how fat is distributed in her body. It’s so rare that only three people in the world have it. Experts still don’t know why.

The condition also makes Lizzie age faster, and she’s blind in one eye.

By kindergarten, kids were making comments about Lizzie. People called her face “disgusting” throughout her childhood.

“At the time, I thought everyone looked like me. “I didn’t know they didn’t look like me,” she told the Daily Mail.

Lizzie’s high school years were better. She realized she could control her own life.

She would stay positive, be brave, and do all her wanted activities.

Things got better, and Lizzie was confident. Then, her world fell apart.

While doing homework, she went to YouTube. She saw a video about herself that broke her heart.

Someone made a video about Lizzie, calling her “the world’s ugliest woman.” The video had millions of views and some terrible comments.

She couldn’t stop reading the comments. Some said the world would be better off without Lizzie. She kept reading, hoping someone would help. Someone else helped.

“I wanted to prove them wrong.”

Lizzie felt like someone was punching her. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

“I didn’t want to fight back — it was a waste of time,” she said. “I just wanted to prove them wrong. I realized I could use it for good.”

Lizzie wasn’t going to let the haters win. She’d seen the worst things written and said about her, but she was still determined to use it as fuel for the future.

She went to college and got a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication from Texas State University at 23.

In 2003, she was invited to a TED Talk in Austin, which went viral. Lizzie explained how hurtful the mocking had been, but she also wanted to give people another perspective.

“I thought my outer appearance defined me,” she said in a 2013 TED Talk. She used to fantasize about “scrubbing the syndrome” off her face.

“I had an epiphany,” she said, seeing the YouTube video. “Am I going to let the people who called me a monster define me? “I’m going to let my achievements define me.”

Most people would have struggled with this hatred. But Lizzie isn’t most people. She showed everyone how strong she is. She has to eat a lot to keep her energy up.

Today, she’s 35 and a successful businesswoman who travels to lecture others on her illness and life story.

She has over 850,000 followers on YouTube and uses it to give talks. Lizzie has shown haters that she’s stronger and more successful.

Lizzie is strong, inspiring, and incredible, but this year has been challenging for many reasons.

The pandemic and social media have been brutal on her. People reacted to Lizzie’s image.

The worst part was that a mother used Lizzie’s photo to prank a child into thinking she was the next teacher.

Some parents called Lizzie in July to say she would be the child’s next teacher.

Lizzie was hurt. What kind of parent would do this? What message does this send to their kids? Is this kind of hate OK? Lizzie said it makes kids react badly to how people look.

After Lizzie had criticized the videos, many children posted videos that described how beautiful Lizzie was. The haters lost again.

Lizzie has been praised worldwide for her courage. She wrote a best-selling book about her life and was praised by former First Lady Michelle Obama.