Carrying the title of ‘the world’s ugliest woman,’ the inspirational Lizzie Velasquez came on our radar back in 2013 with her fantastic TED talk. Now Velasquez is going one step further: she’s raising money for an anti-bullying documentary, about her powerful story, through a Kickstarter campaign. And, you can help, along with a legion of celebrities, by supporting Velasquez before the May 31 deadline.
The documentary will draw on Velasquez’s story to explain the challenges of bullying. Currently 25-years-old and weighing 58lbs, Velasquez is one of three people in the world who suffers from a rare syndrome that prevents her from gaining weight. At age 17, Velasquez found a video on YouTube calling her ‘the ugliest woman in the world’. The video’s comments were similarly cruel.
Rather than sit silently, Velasquez became a motivational speaker challenging bullying. Her TED talk garnered over 9 million views. Her third book, Choosing Happiness, is also scheduled to come out in autumn. Now Velasquez wants to create a film examining bullying. To do so, her Kickstarter campaign aims at raising US$180,000, with a stretch goal of US$360,000. Currently it has raised US$167,539.
“The idea is that they see the documentary and realise that, yes, it is possible to overcome everything,” Velasquez told the Associated Press.
“Lizzie has a bigger dream to accomplish: to make the online community a more positive place than when she found it. Or, rather, when it found her,” reads the campaign’s page.
Two weeks into the campaign, Velasquez posted an update video noting that she was so thankful for how far everything had gone. She also stressed the importance for continued donations. Her determination has seen her gain a legion of A-list fans who have joined in on her campaign to raise awareness for funds, with the deadline for donations ending May 31.
“If we don’t hit our goal by May 31… we will not get a penny of what has been donated so far, and everything will be returned back. We all know I love a really good challenge, and I have a new one: if 10,000 members of ‘team Lizzie’ come together… and donate US$5, can you imagine how far we can get?”
The Kickstarter campaign is open for seven more days. Get involved and help put a stop to bullying. You can find more information at here.
