General Discussion

cali

(114,904 posts) Tue Mar 17, 2015, 10:35 AM Mar 2015

Sometimes I really hate the internet: 'Bullies called me the world's ugliest woman online'

What started as a search for music online - purely homework procrastination - would change Lizzie Velasquez's life.

She was 17 when she stumbled across a YouTube video entitled "The World's Ugliest Woman". What she didn't expect was that the woman featured in the video would be her. It was an eight-second clip and had been watched over four million times.

She didn't realise it was her until it started playing.

"I was shocked," Velasquez recalls, "but it wasn't until I started to read the comments that my stomach really sank."

<snip>

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31872321

cool young woman who fought back against this vile bullying.

12 replies

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Highlight:

Sometimes I really hate the internet: 'Bullies called me the world's ugliest woman online' (Original Post) cali Mar 2015 OP

Only seeing her phenomenal reaction lets me move past my utter disgust hlthe2b Mar 2015 #1

yep. she's fantastic. cali Mar 2015 #2

Damn... I hope I have a tenth of her character! n/t Adrahil Mar 2015 #3

She's amazing. The personification of "rising above it all" K&R nt riderinthestorm Mar 2015 #4

@ TED: progressoid Mar 2015 #5

Thank you for posting that. I hadn't heard of her before tonight, and that really helps Electric Monk Mar 2015 #12

what a courageous and strong young woman. niyad Mar 2015 #6

Internet anonymity is one of the evils we live with... Wounded Bear Mar 2015 #7

But anonymity doesn't have an upside? alp227 Mar 2015 #9

Ugliest woman...so, it's about Ann Coulter? n/t SpankMe Mar 2015 #8

I've seen a bunch of her videos. She's amazing. Orrex Mar 2015 #10

Going to go watch some of those. F4lconF16 Mar 2015 #11

hlthe2b

(102,281 posts)

1. Only seeing her phenomenal reaction lets me move past my utter disgust

Reply to cali (Original post)

Tue Mar 17, 2015, 10:41 AM

Mar 2015

at so much of our society today...

This young woman manifests a self-worth that none of those cretins will every understand.

cali

(114,904 posts)

2. yep. she's fantastic.

Reply to hlthe2b (Reply #1)

Tue Mar 17, 2015, 10:43 AM

Mar 2015

Adrahil

(13,340 posts)

3. Damn... I hope I have a tenth of her character! n/t

Reply to cali (Original post)

Tue Mar 17, 2015, 10:58 AM

Mar 2015

riderinthestorm

(23,272 posts)

4. She's amazing. The personification of "rising above it all" K&R nt

Reply to cali (Original post)

Tue Mar 17, 2015, 11:00 AM

Mar 2015

progressoid

(49,990 posts)

5. @ TED:

Reply to cali (Original post)

Tue Mar 17, 2015, 11:58 AM

Mar 2015

Electric Monk

(13,869 posts)

12. Thank you for posting that. I hadn't heard of her before tonight, and that really helps

Reply to progressoid (Reply #5)

Wed Mar 18, 2015, 02:15 AM

Mar 2015

put the OP in a better context. I don't really know what else to say. How hard must it be to live with that genetic condition, and people can be so cruel. She is so very strong to keep on keeping on like she has.

niyad

(113,315 posts)

6. what a courageous and strong young woman.

Reply to cali (Original post)

Tue Mar 17, 2015, 12:03 PM

Mar 2015

Wounded Bear

(58,660 posts)

7. Internet anonymity is one of the evils we live with...

Reply to cali (Original post)

Tue Mar 17, 2015, 12:28 PM

Mar 2015

It has contributed to the coarseness and hatefulness of our society in a big way. It's really easy to be "honest" when there are no real repercussions to hateful speech and actions. I use air quotes because they fit. Attacking this young woman because of an unfortunate medical condition is as low as it gets. Doing it publicly is, yes, bullying, and says far more about the posters than about her.