'World's ugliest woman' fights against bullying

Author and motivational speaker Lizzie Velasquez poses at the Friend Movement Anti-Bullying Benefit Concert at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles in this July 2013 photo. / AP-Yonhap

By Kim Young-jin

A woman once called the “world’s ugliest woman” is fighting back against bullying with a new documentary project.

Lizzie Velasquez, who has a rare disease that makes it impossible for her to gain weight, became famous last year when her speech on TED Talk went viral, inspiring many.

Now the 25-year-old is raising money for a film tentatively titled "The Lizzie Project" through a Kickstarter campaign.

"I know what it is to be bullied and what is to be bullied online, and I want to be the protector of those who think it won't get better," said Velasquez.

"The idea is that they see the documentary and realize that, yes, it is possible to overcome everything."

Velasquez’s syndrome is so rare that only two other people in the world are known to have it.