Topics: Celebrity, Health, Instagram, Mental Health, Shauna Rae, Social Media, TikTok, US News, Film and TV
TV personality Shauna Rae has responded to being labelled as a woman 'stuck in the body of an eight-year-old'.
The 23-year-old star of reality TV series I Am Shauna Rae developed pituitary dwarfism as a result of damage sustained from undergoing chemotherapy for brain cancer as a child.
Shauna currently stands at 3ft 10in tall and weighs 50lbs and has been described as being a woman 'stuck in an eight-year-old's body'.
However, she has since spoken out against the phrasing, revealing why it's 'inaccurate'.
Advert
Here's what she had to say:
Re-sharing footage from a live Q&A session she conducted on TikTok, Shauna responds to a question from a follower reading: "Since your stuck in a eight year old body does it make you wonder what it's gonna be like when you get old in the future?"
Before answering the question, Shauna notes she wants to 'correct' the follower's 'wording'.
The 23-year-old continues: "I know that 'the woman stuck in the body of an eight-year-old is the catchphrase that's attached to me, but I don't personally connect with it.
"I think it's actually very inaccurate. I am not stuck in the body of an eight-year-old, I am a 23-year-old woman whose body is 23 years old. It's matured, it's gone through puberty, like I've grown in areas that eight year olds don't until they hit puberty which is later in life, so therefore I'm not in the body of an eight-year-old, I am just a shorter statured woman."
Shauna went on to add her body is 'at the average height of an eight-year-old' but that 'doesn't mean [her] body is stuck in an eight-year-old body'.
"My body is my body, it's a 23-year-old body and it works just like every other 23-year-old body," she says.
Sharing the footage to her Instagram, the TV personality implored followers to watch the clip, noting: "Definitely going to get some more out there but I think this one is super important because it gives y’all insight on to how I actually view myself no matter what verbiage that’s attached with pituitary dwarfism.
"I do believe that if you genuinely take the time you’ll notice that I’m no different just short."
Shauna's clarification follows soon after a man named Dan Swygart appeared on the show, and was portrayed as her possible love interest.
Dan received backlash for his connection to Shauna, being branded a 'creep' by some social media users, which he responded to by saying they weren't 'emotionally mature enough' to understand their relationship.
He stated: "It's very important to remember that Shauna is an incredible 23-year-old woman who has a disability. So as you are building a connection with her, it's important to acknowledge her disability and look past that and build it with who she is an individual.
"She's this incredible, inspiring 23-year-old woman who just happens to be a little bit short."
