Velasquez stands pretty amid ugly world of cyberbullying

Model of inspiration: Chong painting a portrait of Velasquez.

PETALING JAYA: They called her ugly but she showed that she’s a brave woman at heart.

Back in 2006, when Lizzie Velasquez (pic) was still in her teens, she found a video of herself on YouTube, calling her “the world’s ugliest woman”.

 

Comments posted on YouTube were disparaging of her appearance, turning the American teenager into a victim of cyberbullying.

“I didn’t even know why I clicked on it, but I did and that’s when I lost it. Calling me a monster or asking why my parents didn’t abort me. How in the world can I forgive the people who told me to kill myself?” she asked in a documentary The Brave Heart, which debuted in March.

Velasquez was born with a rare condition that does not allow her body to accumulate fat. She has zero per cent body fat and has never weighed beyond 29kg.

It spurred Velasquez to do things differently.

From “the world’s ugliest woman”, Velasquez, now 26, is a global inspiration; a fierce advocate against bullying.

She will speak at the National Achievers Congress 2015 to be held from July 10 to July 12 at the Mines International Exhibition and Convention Centre in Selangor.

Those interested to attend can log on to www.nacmalaysia.com for ticket information.

Velasquez has been an inspiration to many people, including Malaysian illustrator Chong Chee Kong, 22, who drew a portrait of Velasquez during a church gathering in Petaling Jaya in 2013.

Velasquez first took to the stage at an event in her hometown of Austin, Texas, for a talk which has since garnered over nine million views on the Internet.

“I’m not sure what it was about the talk and what I said in it, but it changed everything, and I knew this was my purpose. This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.

“All I know is being knocked down and getting back up. I’m not going to go away until they listen,” said Velasquez at the end of her documentary.