About Lizzie
As she was exploring YouTube one day, Lizzie Velasquez felt that it would be a normal day - that is, until she stumbled across a link entitled ‘World’s Ugliest Woman’. When she clicked on it, she was surprised- and horrified, because the woman in the video was her.
Lizzie was born with a rare congenital disease which, among other symptoms, keeps her from accumulating body fat. This condition resulted in bullying during her childhood and adolescence, causing her to feel extremely self-conscious and isolated from everyone she knew. When she was dubbed “World’s ugliest woman” by cyberbullies in a video posted on YouTube, it should have made her self-esteem decrease, but instead, she got stronger from the experience, and now speaks out against bullying, and is known for her optimism.
"Am I gonna let the people who called me a monster define me? No. I'm gonna let my goals and my success and my accomplishments be the things that define me," says Velasquez.
Now, she is supporting the Safe Schools Improvement Act, which would make it mandatory for schools to prohibit bullying and other forms of harassment in their code of conduct.
Lizzie was born with a rare congenital disease which, among other symptoms, keeps her from accumulating body fat. This condition resulted in bullying during her childhood and adolescence, causing her to feel extremely self-conscious and isolated from everyone she knew. When she was dubbed “World’s ugliest woman” by cyberbullies in a video posted on YouTube, it should have made her self-esteem decrease, but instead, she got stronger from the experience, and now speaks out against bullying, and is known for her optimism.
"Am I gonna let the people who called me a monster define me? No. I'm gonna let my goals and my success and my accomplishments be the things that define me," says Velasquez.
Now, she is supporting the Safe Schools Improvement Act, which would make it mandatory for schools to prohibit bullying and other forms of harassment in their code of conduct.
Recent News
In honor of the start of National Bullying Prevention Month, numerous celebrities like Meryl Davis, Kylie Jenner, Chris Hemsworth, Kristen Bell, and many others came together for Velásquez, all saying the same thing: I’m with Lizzie, and letting her know that she has their support in campaigning for the Safe Schools Improvement Act.
"The U.S. still has no federal anti-bullying bill," Lizzie says. "It has been nine years and counting. It is time to get their attention."
"The U.S. still has no federal anti-bullying bill," Lizzie says. "It has been nine years and counting. It is time to get their attention."