Lizzie Velasquez

Submission 46,998

About

Lizzie Velásquez is an author and motivational speaker who is known for speaking against bullying and body image issues inspired by growing up with a rare medical condition with symptoms similar to progeria.

Online History

On July 22nd, 2010, Velásquez' book Lizzie Beautiful, the Lizzie Velásquez Story^[1] was released. On March 1st, 2012, Velásquez' second book Be Beautiful, Be You was published. On December 20th, 2013, Velásquez uploaded her TEDxAustin presentation in which she discusses her medical condition and what it has done for her (shown below). In the first six months, the video gained over 5.9 million views and 8,100 comments.

Kickstarter Campaign

On May 2nd, 2014, Velásquez launched a Kickstarter^[2] campaign titled "The Lizzie Project" for a film following Lizzie's life and experiencing dealing with bullying in hopes to "inspire a more positive online world" (shown below). In the first month, the campaign reached over $200,000 of its $180,000 goal.

Response to Memes

On December 11th, 2016, Velasquez posted a photograph of an image macro making fun of her appearance to her Instagram page saying that posts like it are a fate she "wouldn't wish on her worst enemy."

I've seen a ton of memes like this all over facebook recently. I'm writing this post not as someone who is a victim but as someone who is using their voice. Yes, it's very late at night as I type this but I do so as a reminder that the innocent people that are being put in these memes are probably up just as late scrolling through Facebook and feeling something that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. No matter what we look like or what size we are, at the end of the day we are all human. I ask that you keep that in mind the next time you see a viral meme of a random stranger. At the time you might find it hilarious but the human in the photo is probably feeling the exact opposite. Spread love not hurtful words via a screen. Xoxo Lizzie</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Lizzie Velasquez (littlelizziev) on Dec 11, 2016 at 12:07am PST

She received an outpouring of support from her followers and positive media attention. Her message gained coverage from Yahoo,^[3] Mashable,^[4] and many others. She recorded a video thanking her followers the next day.^[5]

Condemnation Of TikTok Prank

In August of 2020, Velasquez posted a TikTok video talking about how her likeness was used in a FaceTime Photo Prank where a mother showed her son a picture of her and filmed his scared reaction. She encouraged empathy and said that teaching kids not to be scared of people who look different from them starts in the home. The video gained over 1.3 million views (shown below).

Personal Life

Velásquez studied at Texas State University until late 2012. She is a Roman Catholic and has said of her faith, "It's been my rock through everything, just having the time to be alone and pray and talk to God and know that He's there for me."