Woman With Rare Disease Speaks Out About The Pain Of Becoming An Internet Meme ( A Subject Of Bully)

What is meme/s? Meme/s is/are a particularly rich source of incredibly harsh online bullying. Because the subject of a meme is reproduced and captioned over and over again, it can be easy to forget that behind the lolz is a real person, viralthread.com, reports. 

Lizzie Velásquez is someone who knows the devastating power of memes firsthand. Every now and again, as she’s scrolling through her Facebook feed, she comes across photos of her face with incredibly insulting captions attached.

Lizzie, 27, has a rare congenital disease that leaves her unable to store body fat, and affects the size and shape of her limbs and facial features. However, Lizzie isn’t letting her unusual looks get her down. In fact, she’s forged a career as a motivational speaker, author and anti-bullying activist.

In a recent Instagram post, Lizzie opened up about her experiences with online bullying and gives tips on what people can do to stop it.

Lizzie wrote:

“I’ve seen a ton of memes like this all over Facebook recently. I’m writing this post not as someone who is a victim but as someone who is using their voice. Yes, it’s very late at night as I type this but I do so as a reminder that the innocent people that are being put in these memes are probably up just as late scrolling through Facebook and feeling something that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.

“No matter what we look like or what size we are, at the end of the day we are all human. I ask that you keep that in mind the next time you see a viral meme of a random stranger. At the time you might find it hilarious but the human in the photo is probably feeling the exact opposite. Spread love not hurtful words via a screen. Xoxo Lizzie.”

This isn’t the first time Lizzie has found herself the unfortunate victim of online bullying. Back in 2015, she told Today how she’d found a photo of herself on YouTube which named her the “ugliest woman in the world.” She admitted: “I felt like someone was putting a fist through the computer screen and physically punching me. I bawled my eyes out.”

Thankfully, Lizzie isn’t the kind of woman to let the haters get her down. Ever since, she’s been busy speaking at various locations around the US and beyond in order to help spread her message of kindness and tolerance in our intolerant society. 

Watch video below;