Lizzie
Velásquez was 17 when someone uploaded a video of her to YouTube
without her knowledge. When the Austin native — who suffers from a rare
congenital disease — discovered the clip, she also read the thousands of
hateful comments below it calling her “THE WORLD’S UGLIEST WOMAN.”
Today, she describes the experience as someone “putting their fist
through the computer screen and physically punching me over and over and
over.” She was devastated. But she fought back with candor,
fearlessness, and a microphone. (Watch our new interview with her
above.)
Nine
years later, the 26-year-old Velásquez has become the face — the
beautiful face — of the anti-bullying movement in America. The inspiring
new documentary A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velásquez Story,
directed by Sara Bordo, follows Velásquez’s journey from a victim of
mean-spirited attacks to her current status as a beloved activist and
motivational speaker (a watershed moment for Velásquez: a 2013 TED talk that not only went viral, but also united her with first-time director Bordo).
Velásquez
told Yahoo Movies that she never discovered who posted the YouTube
video in the first place. But when that person found out that Velásquez
had flagged it for removal on YouTube, he or she vowed via the streaming
site to keep uploading it over and over again.
Velásquez’s
reaction today? “I honestly think if there was ever a way for me to get
a hold of that guy or that girl, I would definitely want to. And not to
be mean or to yell at them. But to give them a hug and shake their hand
and look them in the eye and just say, ‘Thank you so much, because you
absolutely turned my life around in the best way possible.’”
A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velásquez Story opens nationwide Friday, Sept. 25. Watch the trailer:
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