Christine Haveford
Someone extremely wise once said: ‘Sing like no one is listening and dance like nobody’s watching.’
For 15-year-old Lizzy Howell, there is no truer word spoken. You see, Lizzy is the ultimate dancing queen and taken the internet by storm.
She so happens to be plus-size and her stunning dance sequences have won her a legion of fans.
Lizzy, who hails from Milford, Delaware, share photos and videos of herself dancing on her Instagram and Facebook pages.
A viral video of her nailing fouetté turns has launched her into online stardom. Thousands of people have watched the mesmerizing clip.
Many have hailed her a role model for women of all sizes because she exudes confidence and beauty.
In the incredible video, Lizzy effortlessly does eleven fouettés in a row before ending the sequence with a series of pirouettes.
Lizzy told Daily Mail Online that she started dancing when she was just five-years-old.
The teen has also practiced ballet for the past 10 years.
She is also a keen jazz and tap dancer and trains religiously four days a week. Her talent has seen her be the star attraction in a local production of The Nutcracker.
Lizzy posted her now viral video in November. But it has only now caught heat after it was recently shared on Facebook and Instagram.
‘My video has been shared all over the world, which is a big thing for someone where I live,’ she explained.
Her sudden viral fame helped earn Lizzy more than 100,000 followers, and her video has been viewed more than 300,000 times on her Instagram page alone.
Lizzy has been blown away with her instant internet fame.
‘I enjoy most of the comments saying I’m an inspiration for people of all sizes,’ Lizzy said. ‘I really like being called an inspiration, it makes me feel better about my self and what I’m doing.’
‘However, I do not like when people say, “Oh my gosh I can’t believe she’s better than me!” That implies that plus sized people can’t dance, and it makes me feel self conscious.’
‘It shouldn’t matter how much I weigh, the only thing that should matter is my passion for dance,’ she added.
‘I am trying to lose weight. I know it will make me a better dancer, as well as make me healthier. Losing weight is hard!’
But Lizzy’s success has seen a few trolls target her page.
She admits she has received ‘lots and lots of negativity’, but most of the time she is able to laugh of the cruel comments.
She recalled that someone recently commented on her video, writing: ‘Kids, this is how hurricanes are made.’
Lizzy said she and her aunt, whom she lives with, laughed for ten minutes straight before she responded: ‘Don’t you mean tornado?’
When asked what advice she would give to a young girl who feels her weight stops her from dancing, Lizzie reassures that ‘stereotypes are made to be broken’.
‘You will have to work twice as hard for everything that everyone else gets, but it will be worth it in the long run to prove the “haters” wrong,’ she added.
‘Do what you love and don’t let any one stop you.’
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