Roy Exum
This past weekend Lizzie Velasquez became the darling of the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas. You would never have thought it, no, not by any stretch, but there she was, delighted to share her years of deep agony and sensational victories in life with delighted and adoring crowd.
Ten years ago, when our Lizzie was 17, she was taking a break from homework when she went on the YouTube website searching for some cool music. As she browsed, she saw a tape entitled “The World’s Ugliest Woman” and, because she herself has wrestled with a terrible medical condition, she opened an eight-second tape.
It was of her, and it had already been viewed by four million people.
“I was totally shocked,” she told a cluster of reporters in Austin, “but it wasn’t until I read the comments that my stomach really sank.” Oh, there were some zingers. “Why would her parents keep her?” and “Kill it with fire!” and far, far worse. One blogger claimed anyone who saw her would go blind.
“I sat there looking at the things people had written and thought, ‘Well, this is it. My life is over.’”
No, it had just begun. Lizzie weighed 2 pounds, 10-ounces when she was born four weeks premature but, much worse, she has a rare medical condition where her tiny body can store no fat. The syndrome doesn’t even have a name and today our newest heroine stands 5-foot-2 and weighs right at 60 pounds. She’s blind in her left eye and her foot keeps breaking because there is not enough fat to cushion the frail bones. All of this and – get this -- our girl Lizzie could give a rip!
When she was born to Rita and Lupe Velasquez, her parents thought she was the prettiest flower in Texas. They still do. So when she wept almost uncontrollably over the YouTube tape, her folks told her to get in a real good cry because the very next morning she had to go to school with her head held high, wearing that smile of hers, and to be kind to everyone she sees, no matter how they acted towards her.
Those were her marching orders. Period. And this weekend, when she was asked about the awful YouTube tape, she said with ease, “I forgave all those people over nine years ago. I don’t know what they are going through. While my life may be hard at times – who knows? – they could be going through something much worse.”
Lizzie, now 27, has written two books about bullying with a third book on the way but the documentary is what Sara Bordo, the film’s director, believes will touch many millions. “Her experience of triumphing adversity and making it to the other side of a painful experience is universal,” Sara told the BBC.
“As soon as Lizzie became more open and honest – whether it was her TED talk (which over 7 million have watched on the same YouTube site that almost destroyed her) – it was pretty clear people were thirsty for a story where somebody stands up and says I’m not going to be a victim. I’m going to make a change.”
Now Lizzy is constantly being interviewed by people like Barbara Walters and Katie Couric. The movie has generated world-wide attention and she’s in great demand as a speaker. “When I was 13 I hated my condition because it caused so much pain in my life. I mean, being a teenager is hard enough … but being constantly picked on is almost unbearable.”
So Lizzie took charge. She graduated from Texas State and forces down small meals and snacks throughout the day. An average person has a daily intake of about 3,700 calories but our heroine needs over 5,000 every day because she can’t store fat.
At the movie premier she told a reporter, “I’m comfortable. I even look at my condition as a gift …. It’s like it is Christmas Day and it’s something I am blessed with. I want to share this gift with anyone who will have it. What I want the film to do is show there’s a light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to bullying.
“I feel like I have been given a huge platform and I want to take advantage of that. ‘The Lizzie Project’ is a call for anyone who wants to unite and make the online world a more positive place. (The Kickstarter website reported it took only three weeks for ‘The Lizzy Project’ to raise the goal of $180,000 and that due to its popularity it will continue accepting donations through the end of May.)
“The only thing that worried me about the movie was that some viewers would feel sorry for me. Not at all. I want people to leave feeling empowered for themselves and, hopefully, for other people, too.”
Christopher Roldan, who edited the film, said he was constantly inspired by Lizzie as they made the film. “Oh, I was blown away from the start, to tell the truth, Lizzie has a way of winning people over that is absolutely amazing, And she has a kindness that nobody sees very often.
“I guess I would describe her as a real-life kind of ‘Rocky.’ Lizzy Velasquez is simply is incredible.”
royexum@aol.com
Lizzie Velasquez