Shauna Rae is 25 years old. But when she walks into a bar, she gets asked if her parents are with her.
Standing just 3’10” and weighing 50 pounds, Shauna lives in the body of an 8-year-old—because of a condition most people have never heard of.
“I’m a woman, not a child,” she said in a now-viral video. “But the world doesn’t treat me like one.”
Shauna, who stars in the hit TLC series I Am Shauna Rae, was diagnosed with pituitary dwarfism after surviving brain cancer as an infant. At just 6 months old, she underwent chemotherapy that damaged her pituitary gland—the part of the brain responsible for growth hormone production.
“My body stopped developing, but my mind never did,” she explained in an emotional segment from the show.
Doctors say her condition is incredibly rare—affecting only a fraction of childhood cancer survivors. But its effects go far beyond height.
In a candid interview with People, Shauna described what it’s like to constantly be underestimated, infantilized, and stared at in public.
“I can’t even walk through a mall without people whispering,” she said. “They don’t see me as human. They see me as a novelty.”
She says dating has been the most difficult part of her adult life.
“I want love like anyone else,” she told Entertainment Tonight. “But most men who approach me are either creeps or lying.”
Shauna says she’s had to develop a “sixth sense” for red flags—especially online.
“There are people who fetishize me because I look like a child,” she said. “It’s disgusting.”
Social media has rallied behind her.
A TikTok video where Shauna breaks down after being refused service at a wine bar has been viewed over 15 million times. “I had my ID. They just laughed,” she said. The original clip now includes thousands of supportive comments.
“You’re stronger than most of us,” wrote one follower.
Her story has even reached celebrities. Demi Lovato tweeted: “Shauna is the definition of bravery. Stop judging what you don’t understand.”
But not all reactions have been kind.
A recent Reddit thread from r/tvcritic tore into the show’s premise, accusing TLC of “turning her into a sideshow.” Shauna responded directly during an Instagram Live, saying: “I control my story. Not the network. Not the trolls.”
Despite the negativity, she’s using her platform to educate. Shauna now works with the Pituitary Foundation to raise awareness for hormone-related conditions and medical stigma.
“This isn’t just about me,” she said. “It’s about every person who’s been judged because they’re different.”
Her goal? To one day be seen—and treated—as the adult she is.
“I want a job. A husband. A normal life,” she said during a segment on Dr. Phil. “But I have to work ten times harder for people to even give me a chance.”
And yet, Shauna remains defiantly optimistic.
“I’ve already survived cancer,” she told BuzzFeed News. “You think I’m going to let some judgmental stares break me?”
Not a chance.
