Shauna Rae has responded to people who keep calling her a woman "stuck in an eight-year-old's body".
The reality TV personality was introduced to viewers in 2022 on the hit TLC series, I Am Shauna Rae.
The 25-year-old has a rare medical condition, which stems from the chemotherapy treatment she received for brain cancer when she was just six months old.
While the treatment successfully saved her life, it affected her pituitary gland, resulting in her developing pituitary dwarfism.
Her TLC series explores how she lives her life, her future plans, and how she's been unfortunate in love and draws attention from the wrong people due to her appearance.
Rae 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," on the TV show's synopsis.
However, she has since spoken out against the phrasing on TikTok, revealing why she doesn't identify with it.
"I just want to correct your wording. 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," she said in the video.
She continued "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. I've grown in areas that eight-year-olds don't until they've hit puberty, which is later in life. I am just a shorter-statured woman, and my body is at the average height of an eight-year-old."
Watch the video below:The TV star shared the video on her Instagram page with a caption clarifying her explanation: "Definitely going to get some more out there but I think this one is super important because it gives y'all insight into 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," she concluded.
Many users took to the comment to praise her for her response. "Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings. It's not easy, especially on the internet! You seem a very sensitive and smart young woman. Keep going, sis," one user said.
"The fact you have to explain this is unfortunate @thereal_shaunarae99 your beautiful inside n out," another commented.
Rae has candidly opened up about the challenges she faces daily due to her appearance, such as the treatment she often receives at restaurants.
"So, getting things like kids' menus, kids' cups, crayons at restaurants is common," she said in the video shared in March 2023. "It's less common, I've noticed when I'm out with my friends - very common when I'm out with older sisters or my family in general... I think if they see you in a family environment, they see a short-statured person, they just immediately think 'child' but it happens all the time," she continued.
The reality star explained the importance of raising awareness for pituitary dwarfism in the caption of the clip, writing: "This is something that happens to me very often, and use to be an every time I went out occurrence."
"I'm hoping that by raising awareness for my type of dwarfism and disability, that it will help the world and us as humans be more open-minded when it comes to the variety of people we have in our world," she added.