Lizzie Velasquez Proves We Have It All Wrong When It Comes to Beauty

When she was born, Lizzie Velasquez was diagnosed with neonatal progeroid syndrome, a condition that affects her eyes, her bones, her heart and keeps her from gaining weight. At just 17 years old, Lizzie Velasquez found out she was known, the Internet over, as the "ugliest woman in the world."

In a new video from Allure, Lizzie talks about finding that horrible YouTube video, and scrolling through tens of thousands of comments, trying to find one person who would stand up for her. And she didn't.

But Lizzie's heart belied that malicious title. She worried about the affect this might have on her family, on her mother in particular. And that's where true beauty comes from.

In a world obsessed with our own convoluted notions of the perfect body, the perfect teeth, the perfect hair, the perfect skin — it seems we need to take a break and take Lizzie's words to heart:

"Beauty is the person that you are. Not the person that you look like."