Pop culture memory can be very fickle; sometimes, those who absolutely dominate the headlines of yesteryear fall of the radar for most people when the next big star comes along. One of the best examples of this is Lizzie Velásquez, who rose to problematic fame after being labeled the “World’s Ugliest Woman” on YouTube nearly two decades ago.
Fortunately, she didn’t let online bullies define her and went on to create a successful life for herself despite her medical condition. However, she had a recent health scare that some of her biggest fans don’t know about. What happened to this unconventionally inspirational motivational speaker, and what is she up to now? Keep reading to find out!
Who is Lizzie Velásquez?
To understand who Lizzie Velásquez is, you must first know about her medical condition. She was born with Marfanoid-progeroid-lipodystrophy syndrome, which means that she never builds up body fat or gains weight. This means that she looks very thin, never weighing more than 64 pounds and having to constantly eat (up to 8,000 calories per day!) just to avoid getting any thinner.
Fortunately, her condition isn’t terminal, and Velásquez has been able to lead a relatively normal life, complete with a very successful career (more on this very soon). Sadly, her condition gives her the visual appearance of someone with progeria. And because kids are cruel, this means she had to endure a childhood of bullying that very nearly destroyed her life.
Enduring a childhood of bullying
Many people endure childhood bullying for the simple reason that young kids (especially if they don’t have empathetic parents) often mock those who are different from them in any way. This may include children who dress in unorthodox fashions or who have unusual accents. As you can imagine, things were that much worse for Lizzie Velásquez thanks to her genetic condition. She couldn’t simply change what she wore or how she spoke; instead, everyone knew she was different from the other children as soon as they saw her.
The childhood bullying culminated in the worst form of online exposure. In 2006, back when YouTube was only one year old, Velásquez was dubbed “The World’s Ugliest Woman” in a viral video. She was only 17 years old at the time, and this video threatened to destroy all of her remaining self-confidence. Velásquez didn’t give in to the haters, though: instead, she launched an unexpected career as a motivational speaker who transformed her pain into advice that helped change the lives of countless others for the better.
A new life as a motivational speaker
As mentioned before, Lizzie Velásquez refused to let her haters define who she is. She began crafting a new identity for herself through writing, starting with a 2010 autobiography (Lizzie Beautiful: The Lizzie Velásquez Story), which told the story of her life, including some very touching letters from her mother that helped this young woman appreciate her unique beauty.
Later, she wrote two children’s books about topics that were near and dear to her: discovering inner beauty and overcoming the obstacles that would otherwise keep you from finding inner peace and happiness. Her most recent book (the 2017 tome Dare to be Kind) is about becoming a kinder and more caring person, and that was a big part of her 2014 TED Talk “How Do YOU Define Yourself?” Receiving over 54 million views, that video helped the motivational speaker launch a successful career on social media.
Finding a new audience online
The success of her TED Talk helped launch a new era of Lizzie Velásquez’s career. She was already a published author, and her words had provided inspiration to countless fans all around the world. Now, she had a built-in audience online, and she used this to build a platform on both YouTube and TikTok. There, she continued to serve as a motivational speaker, providing fans with words of guidance and comfort, one video at a time.
There’s a certain poetic irony to her online success, of course. Velásquez was once lampooned on YouTube, mocked as the ugliest woman in the entire world, thanks to a genetic condition she has no control over. Now, the same platform that was once used to mock her has transformed her into a motivational guru whose powerful wisdom is cherished by fans all around the world.
Surviving a recent health scare
Despite her medical condition, Lizzie Velásquez has been relatively healthy for most of her life. Recently, though, she took to Instagram to reveal that she had been hospitalized for 24 days in visits spread across three different hospitals. In the sobering video, she admitted that her health issues had her questioning why she was taking so much medicine if she was just going to be sick all the time.
It was sad to watch her discuss how sad she has been and how the spark that had kept her going was rapidly fading. But she didn’t lose hope: in addition to committing to going to therapy, Lizzie Velásquez said she would now be willing to ask for and accept help from others in her life. This is a reminder that even the best motivational speakers sometimes need someone else to keep them motivated. And the sheer number of fans who offered her their love and support is a heartwarming reminder of just how many lives she has touched with her wisdom, compassion, and grace.