Woman hits back at cruel Facebook meme trend

Motivational speaker Lizzie Velasquez has hit back at people using her face in cruel memes. Photo / Getty Images

There is a horrible new meme trend making the rounds on Facebook that makes fun of real (mostly) women for their looks - now one of the people targeted by it has hit back.

Lizzie Valesquez was caught up in this negative social media craze after someone posted a photo of her online. The meme encourages users to tag their friends and poke fun at the victims of the post.

Lizzie, who was born with a rare medical condition that prevents her body from storing fat, is a motivational speaker and staunch anti-bullying advocate. She wasn't going to take it lying down - so she wrote a powerful speaking out against the hurtful meme:

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...

Posted by Lizzie Velasquez on Sunday, 11 December 2016

"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," she said in her Facebook post.

"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."

The BBC has reported that Facebook has been shutting down the groups responsible for circulating the sinister memes.

- nzherald.co.nz