Lizzie Velasquez TED Talk That Touched The World | How Do You Define Yourself?

Lizzie Velasquez TED talk entitled “How do you define yourself?” is based on her true-life story.

Because of her looks, she was a victim of bullying so much so that, she was once labeled the world’s ugliest woman.

How do you define yourself?

That is the key question Lizzie Velasquez TED talk presentation is all about.

Lizzie Valesquez spoke to an audience about her experiences and what she’s learned from them.

Lizzie was born with a lack of amniotic fluid around her and the doctors said that she would never talk, walk, crawl, or do things on her own like others would.

Here she is, fulfilling her dream of becoming one of the best motivational speakers. Lizzie starts out the talk by speaking about her syndrome.

She says that they don’t know that much about it; only that two other people in the world share this very same rare syndrome.

This syndrome means that Lizzie cannot gain weight.

She jokes that there are benefits to not being able to gain weight, being visually impaired, or being small by saying that she can eat whatever she wants and will never gain weight!

Even though she may eat candy or Twinkies or donuts or chips and Skittles like she did in college.

Lizzie jokes that she could easily walk into a gym or represent a product and say, “Hi! I use this program… look how well it works!” She says that growing up, her parents raised her as normal.

It was only when she went to school and interacted with the other children that she realized that she did look different from the other kids.

Her first attempt to make a friend with another girl did not go well– ‘she looked at me like I was a monster!’

Lizzie says how her parents said that her outer appearance shouldn’t define her and that she should smile and be herself and everyone would see that she’s not so different.

Still, in middle school, there were times that Lizzie wishes that she could wake up and be different “and not have to deal with these struggles”.

She credits her support system for picking her up but never pitying her and always there to laugh during the good times. Even though things are hard, they taught her that they can’t let that define her.

Lizzie tells the audience that we are the ones in the car and we are the ones that ultimately define ourselves.

When a video came out of her describing her as the ‘world’s ugliest woman’, But, she says, she began to realize that it was her life and it was in her hands.

She could be grateful for what she had and open her eyes and realize what she does have and make that be the thing that defines her.

Lizzie says that at the end of the day, she can’t let the people who called her names or were hateful towards her define her? No.

The success and the goals that she has are going to be the things that define her. Not her exterior, not how she looks, not others, and not the syndrome.

She said that the best way to get back at all of those people that teased her and were mean is to make her life better and use their words to motivate her to reach her goals.

Lizzie is now a successful motivational speaker, has published books, just graduated college, and has a career that she loves.

Lizzie says that she used their negativity to light their fire and keep you going– and she guarantees you that you will win.