Activist reveals how being called 'the world's ugliest woman' at 17 helped to redefine her life

A motivational speaker with a very rare condition that affects her physical appearance has opened up about how being dubbed "the world's ugliest woman" at 17 helped to redefine her life.

Lizzie Velasquez was born with Marfanoid-progeroid-lipodystrophy syndrome, which prevents her from gaining weight, affects her facial structure, and has led to partial blindness.

Now, speaking to Yahoo Life, the 32-year-old anti-bullying advocate shared how she overcame some of the derogatory comments about her appearance that she has been exposed to from an early age.

Velasquez told the outlet: "I was diagnosed with neonatal progeroid syndrome and it's made up of two different conditions. One of them is lipodystrophy and basically, that just doesn't allow me to gain weight.

"The second part is Marfan syndrome. Marfan, I found out is actually pretty common, but the type that I have is very rare and it affects my eyes, my bones, and my heart. Despite being in a very small body, I live a very normal life."

Back in 2006, when Velasquez was just 17, a video branding her "The World's Ugliest Woman" was shared on YouTube.

The then-teen had already been severely bullied in the years leading up to the viral video, but the video was a particularly crushing blow to her self-esteem.

It had arisen during a time when she was building back some of her confidence - just for it to come tumbling back down again.

Velasquez said: "I found the video at 17 and it was a time where I felt like I had finally built up my confidence and my self-esteem so much. And then to just see a video that says 'the world's ugliest woman,' it felt like, within two seconds, everything that I had worked for up to that point was just sort of knocked over and done."

She added: "Little did I know that that moment was going to be such a defining one in my life."

Indeed, the harsh words about her appearance became a source of inspiration for her and she would ultimately become a motivational speaker, touching millions of people around the world.

In 2013, Velasquez gave an uplifting TEDxAustinWomen about how her condition had affected her life and how she refuses to let it define her worth as a person.

She is also the author of children's books, has spoken out about her experiences on talk shows like The View, and appeared in the 2015 documentary film A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story.

You can also follow Valesquez on Instagram HERE!

Featured image credit: Vasyl Yakobchuk / Alamy