22-year-old woman who looks 8 years old opens up about the 'bad situations' that come with dating

Kylie Mar
·Host & Producer, Yahoo Entertainment
·3 min read
265

TLC on Tuesday premiered a new show called I Am Shauna Rae, about a 22-year-old woman who is "trapped in the body of an 8-year-old."

When Shauna was just 6 months old, a very aggressive cancerous tumor formed on her head. After surgery and two to three years of chemotherapy, Shauna was deemed cancer-free. However, doctors later discovered that her pituitary gland was close to dormant, reducing her growth hormones production.

"I got on growth hormones but, unfortunately, the doctor told me I was done growing. My bones were fused at 16. So I didn't have this realization that I wasn't gonna be normal until I was 16. That moment was almost, like, the world shattered," admitted Shauna.

Now 22, Shauna stands at 3 feet 10 inches and weighs around 50 pounds. However, what Shauna wants more than anything is some independence.

"I want to live my life like my friends and my sisters do, but I need my mother, my father, and the rest of the world to realize that I'm an adult," said Shauna.

Viewers immediately fell in love with Shauna and her new show because of her humor and fun personality. However, one thing that seemed to concern many people is her dating life.

"My romantic life kind of sucks. I think I've dated, like, seven people. I attract creeps, a**holes. You know? Like, the typical quote-unquote bad boy picture kinda situation. And idiots! My last relationship had ended specifically because he didn't wanna go out to a restaurant with me or just go out and take a walk with me. And those are the kind of things that I look for as red flags," explained Shauna.

During the episode, Shauna's two sisters decided to help her out by creating an online dating profile for her. However, Shauna admitted that there is a concern surrounding the type of men who would be interested in her, due to the fact that she looks like a child.

"There is plenty of bad situations that can happen when it comes to people that wanna date me," explained Shauna. "The attraction to younger people, children exactly, is an issue. And there have been times that I've attracted that. And they haven't been, like, super old creepy guys all the time, but sometimes they are, sometimes they're younger, and it's just creepy."

Shauna's stepfather also shared, "The problem with online is, you don't know what their intentions are. I mean, are they allowed within 500 yards of an elementary school? I mean, those are serious concerns of mine."

Viewers shared the same thoughts Tuesday night:

While dating is something Shauna wants in her life, ultimately, it's her independence that she is most focused on.

"I'm working on my independence. The things that are holding me back really are the finances, the fact that I can't drive yet. And my parents need to learn to loosen the reins, and I don't know if my mom will ever do that," stated Shauna.

I Am Shauna Rae airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on TLC.

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