It’s very true that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Our society creates unreasonable expectations for what should be considered “beautiful.” These accepted ideals often lead to unnecessary bullying which, as we all know, negatively impacts one’s mental well-being. So can you imagine being in the shoes of the woman who unfairly got labeled “the ugliest person in the world?”
Born with a rare congenital disease (her condition doesn’t allow her to gain any fat – she weighs in at about 63 lbs.), Elizabeth Ann “Lizzie” Velásquez discovered a Youtube video at the age of 17 that bestowed her with the nasty title. The video was seen by about 4 million people and had insane amounts of negative comments – some even suggesting her to commit suicide. Luckily, she did not let the negativity influence her, she instead used it as a fuel to help change the world for the better.
She appropriately became an activist and a voice for anti-bullying. Opportunities to spread her message to a larger audience became possible once her inspiring Tedx talk speech went viral.
“If I ever see that person [who made the video] I would jump on them and give them the biggest hug in the world and tell them, ‘Thank you for bringing the best thing that has ever happened to me in my life.’ That video changed everything and it has given me the platform that I have now to be the voice for anyone who’s ever been bullied – and not just myself” says Velásquez.
Taking her campaign to the next step, film maker Sara Bordo began documenting Velásquez’s life – the documentary shows Velásquez’s quest to lobby congress to pass an anti-bullying bill.
“I’ve met so many people who have come up to tell me their personal stories, and a lot of them express the same feelings that I have, especially reading things online. Hearing those stories really validates what we’re doing.”
She certainly is the ideal role model for all people. Having free speech by no means should encourage hate speech. We all go through struggles our own way and if you can’t relay encouragement (or at least empathize), then kindly keep your arrogant cynicism to yourself.
The documentary, entitled A Brave Heart, premiered at the SXSW festival and received positive feedback. Check out the trailer and keep an eye out for local listings to see if the movie will come to your area!