{"id":11671,"date":"2014-05-24T00:14:33","date_gmt":"2014-05-23T16:14:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=11671"},"modified":"2014-05-24T00:14:33","modified_gmt":"2014-05-23T16:14:33","slug":"lizzie-velasquez-once-dubbed-worlds-ugliest-woman-seeks-funding-for-anti-bullying-film","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2014\/05\/24\/lizzie-velasquez-once-dubbed-worlds-ugliest-woman-seeks-funding-for-anti-bullying-film\/","title":{"rendered":"Lizzie Velasquez, once dubbed \u2018world\u2019s ugliest woman\u2019 seeks funding for anti bullying film"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Lizzie<\/a>
Lizzie Velasquez. Screenshot from YouTube.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

AUSTIN, Texas\u2014In December 2013, she inspired millions with her TED Talk. Now Lizzie Velasquez, once called \u201cthe world\u2019s ugliest woman,\u201d hopes to reach an even-wider audience through an anti-bullying documentary about her story.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know what it is to be bullied and what is to be bullied online, and I want to be the protector of those who think it won\u2019t get better,\u201d said Velasquez, 25, who has a rare disease that makes it impossible for her to gain weight. She has never weighed more than 64 pounds and is blind in one eye.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea is that they see the documentary and realize that, yes, it is possible to overcome everything,\u201d she told The Associated Press during an interview in a coffee shop in Austin, Texas.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s raising money for the film, tentatively titled \u201cThe Lizzie Project,\u201d through a Kickstarter campaign that has already collected more than $123,000 in donations. The campaign, whose trailer can be seen at TheLizzieProject.com, ends May 31. The goal is to raise $180,000.<\/p>\n

Velasquez was born in Austin in 1989 with a syndrome so rare only two other people in the world are known to have it.<\/p>\n

She became a celebrity on Dec. 5, 2013, when her TED Talk (short speeches designed to share and spread ideas from a number of disciplines) in Austin (part of the worldwide event TEDxWomen) became a hit. In her speech, Velasquez explained that her life changed at age 17, when she saw herself on a YouTube video titled, \u201cThe world\u2019s ugliest woman.\u201d The video\u2019s comments section featured comments such as, \u201cDo the world a favour and put a gun to your head.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cInstead of just taking shelter of my tears, I chose to be happy and realize this syndrome is not a problem but a blessing that allows me to improve myself and inspire other people,\u201d said Velasquez.<\/p>\n

In the years since she saw the video and comments, Velasquez graduated from college, wrote three self-help books (the third, \u201cChoosing Happiness,\u201d will be published in August) and gained tens of thousands of followers on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. She\u2019s been interviewed by Katie Couric and ABC\u2019s \u201cThe View,\u201d where she met Barbara Walters and Whoopi Goldberg.<\/p>\n

Velasquez credits her strength to her parents, who have always loved her the same way they love her siblings, Marina and Chris, neither of whom suffer from the syndrome.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re the best parents in the entire world,\u201d said Velasquez. \u201cFrom the moment I was born they showered me with love. And they didn\u2019t just raise me. They raised my brother and sister in the exact same way. So that love, multiplied times three, is what definitely brought me to where I am today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Velasquez was born four weeks premature. Doctors used a photo to show her to her mother for the first time. \u201cI started crying inconsolably, but I asked them to bring her to me nevertheless,\u201d said Rita Velasquez. \u201cI wanted to see her, hold her and love her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her father said Lizzie realized she was different on her first day of kindergarten, when other kids didn\u2019t want to play with her. \u201cWe told her about the syndrome and, ever since, (Lizzie) showed great signs of maturity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLizzie has such an inner strength and sense of humour that anyone can relate to her,\u201d said Sara Bordo, a first-time director working with Velasquez on the film project. \u201cWe all have difficulties in life, but nothing compared to what she has been through. Her positive attitude elevates the spirit of any person in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Velasquez says she\u2019s not interested in a possible cure for her syndrome.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, there is no way, I wouldn\u2019t even consider it,\u201d Velasquez said. \u201cIf you had asked me that question when I was 13, I\u2019d probably have said yes. I\u2019d be all for it, I\u2019d do the trial, whatever. But if you ask me that now, I\u2019ve learned and I\u2019ve come such a long way to be able to accept who I am and own who I am that, if I changed anything about me I wouldn\u2019t be Lizzie, I wouldn\u2019t be true to myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Online:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.TheLizzieProject.com<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

AUSTIN, Texas\u2014In December 2013, she inspired millions with her TED Talk. Now Lizzie Velasquez, once called \u201cthe world\u2019s ugliest woman,\u201d …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":11672,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-lifestyle","mauthors-enrique-lopetegui","mauthors-the-associated-press"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11671"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11671\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}