Velasquez
© YouTube
She has been bullied, ridiculed and stared at with mysterious looks since her childhood. And above all, she was dubbed 'world's ugliest woman' by insensitive cyber bullies when she was in high school. For Lizzie Velasquez life was never as simple as it was for others.

Born with a rare medical condition, Velasquez has no adipose tissue and cannot create muscle, store energy, or gain weight. She has zero percent fat in her body and weights only 60 pounds (22 kg). But despite all her physical complications her spirits and level of motivation has always been sky high.

After years of misery and self-doubt, Lizzie Velasquez from Austin, Texas says she can finally shrug off the hurtful comments about her looks as 'just words'.

When people in their comments on a 8-second-long YouTube video named as 'The World's Ugliest Woman' encouraged her to kill herself and called her a 'monster', she instead of paying heed to such insensitivity designed four goals for herself: to become a motivational speaker, to publish a book, to graduate college, and to build a family and a career for herself.

Lizzie is 23-years-old now, she has been a motivational speaker for seven years and has given various workshops on multiple topics like dealing with bullies, embracing uniqueness and overcoming obstacles. Her first book called Lizzie Beautiful came in 2010 and her second Be Beautiful, Be You arrived earlier this month. Above all, she is a senior majoring in Communications at Texas State University.


In her recent interview to CNN she said: "The stares are what I'm really dealing with in public right now. But I think I'm getting to the point where... instead of sitting by and watching people judge me, I'm starting to want to go up to these people and introduce myself or give them my card and say, 'Hi, I'm Lizzie. Maybe you should stop staring and start learning'."

At the time of her birth she weighed just 2 pounds 10 ounces (1 kg) and there were bleak chances as to whether she would survive or not. Fortunately, she thrived. Her internal organs and bones developed normally, though her body is tiny. Due to absence of fatty tissue in her body, she has to eat after every 10 to 15 minutes to energize herself.

Instead of retaliating against people who have hurt her, Lizzie has always set goals that can push her forward despite all hurdles. "I feel really glad that I don't look like the celebrities out there that are so beautiful," she said in her interview.

So, if you are also a victim of bullying because of your features or looks, try following the example of Lizzie Velasquez to make your life simpler and successful.