| Lizzie Velásquez Quick Info | |
|---|---|
| Height | 5 ft 2 in |
| Weight | 29 kg |
| Date of Birth | March 13, 1989 |
| Zodiac Sign | Pisces |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
Lizzie Velásquez is an American motivational speaker, activist, author, and YouTuber who had faced extreme bullying as a child due to her abnormal facial and bodily structure. This was caused by the fact that she was born with Marfanoid–progeroid–lipodystrophy syndrome, an incredibly rare non-terminal genetic disorder that prevents a person from accumulating body fat and gaining weight. This unfortunate bullying had continued into her teenage years and after she was labeled as the ‘World’s Ugliest Woman’ in a 2006 YouTube video, she had decided to take up motivational speaking as a career and thus, wage a crusade against cyber-bullying. In 2010, she had self-published her autobiography, co-authored with her mother, titled Lizzie Beautiful: The Lizzie Velásquez Story. It was released in both English and Spanish.
Born Name
Elizabeth Anne Velásquez
Nick Name
Lizzie
Sun Sign
Pisces
Born Place
Austin, Texas, United States
Residence
Austin, Texas, United States
Nationality
Education
Lizzie, after her high school graduation, had attended the Texas State University, a public research university in San Marcos, Texas. She had studied there until late 2012, majoring in communication studies.
Occupation
Motivational Speaker, Activist, Author, YouTuber
Family
- Father – Guadalupe Fonsi Velásquez
- Mother – Rita Borja Velásquez
- Siblings – Marina Velásquez (Younger Sister), Chris Velásquez (Younger Brother)
Build
Slim
Height
5 ft 2 in or 157.5 cm
Weight
29 kg or 64 lbs
Race / Ethnicity
Hispanic
She is of Mexican descent.
Hair Color
Dark Brown
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Petite frame
- Center-parted, long, straight hair
- Cheerful smile
Religion
Christianity (Roman Catholicism)
Lizzie Velásquez Facts
- At the time of her birth, Lizzie had weighed an abnormally low 2 pounds 11 ounces (1,219 grams). She was born 4 weeks prematurely and doctors had been befuddled by the situation. As time passed by, it became clear that she could not gain much weight and throughout her life, was never weighed at more than 29 kg (64 lbs), with almost 0% body fat.
- This meant that she had needed to consume many small meals and snacks every day just to maintain her body weight. Her daily intake of calories would range between 5,000 and 8,000 which was much, much higher than that of an average female of a similar age. The disorder that she was suffering from and its side effects had eventually left her blind in the right eye and vision-impaired in the left eye.
- In January 2014, she had delivered a lecture at TEDxAustinWomen entitled ‘How Do YOU Define Yourself’. In 2015, as part of the ‘National Bullying Prevention Month’, she had hosted a social media challenge for the anti-bullying organization Bystander Revolution‘s ‘Month of Action’.
- In 2015, it was discovered that Lizzie and another woman by the name of Abby Solomon, who was suffering from a less severe variation of the same disorder, had mutations in their FBN1 gene. This mutation had resulted in asprosin (a protein hormone) deficiency which was understood to be the chief cause of the disorder.
- In March that year, a documentary film based on her life was aired. It was titled A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velásquez Story.
- Other than her autobiography, she has also written 2 children’s books – Be Beautiful, Be You (2012), and Choosing Happiness (2014). In 2017, she had authored another book titled Dare to be Kind.
Featured Image by Lizzie Velásquez / Instagram
