A 23-year-old woman whose body has the appearance of that of an eight-year-old has started dating other men following the controversy surrounding her previous alleged relationship.
Shauna Rae Lesick - who is the star of TLC's reality show I Am Shauna Rae - is 3 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 50 pounds at 23 years of age after undergoing treatment for brain cancer as an infant which subsequently affected her pituitary gland, resulting in her developing pituitary dwarfism.
Her series explores how she lives her life, her intentions for the future, and how she's been unfortunate in love and draws attention from the wrong people due to her appearance.
E! Online reported that the reality star has faced many difficulties due to her age not matching the way she looks. In the docuseries, Shauna Rae details her struggles trying to get a tattoo and buying alcohol, as well as dating.
Recently, a man from Wales, UK - who Shauna Rae was reportedly dating - faced criticism for supposedly entering into a relationship with the very young-looking TV personality.
Dan Swygart, 26, who ended up appearing on Shauna Rae's show faced a barrage of hate online despite the fact that the purported relationship was between two consenting legal adults.
Dan eventually took to social media to upload a video defending himself against the trolls, saying: "Me and Shauna are still just really good friends getting to know each other, but I think it's absolutely disgusting, the attitude of some people.
"She's been through so much in her life - she survived cancer as a child, she's always felt different and been treated differently by society.
"But how dare you take away her right, her human right, to have a connection, a friendship, a relationship with someone else? Who are you to say that she can't have that? I am absolutely disgusted about some people's attitudes towards her and my friendship with her. I cannot believe some people who deny her the right to have a friendship or a connection with someone else."
Following the controversy, Shauna Rae is shown in the series preparing to go on a date, after revealing that she'd prefer to meet a matchmaker rather than continue online dating. She admitted that she found dating scary as she wasn't sure how potential love interests would react to her size.
"A lot of people are like 'oh you're like right up to my shoulders', [and] I'm like 'no I'm up to your groin'," she revealed.
Although she was anxious, Shauna Rae ended up heading on a blind date, however, her date cancelled just before they were scheduled to meet.
In a podcast episode from last year, Shauna Rae explained the struggles she has when it comes to sex. "I know sex is a huge topic when it comes to disability and just dwarfism in general, so it is something that is touchy. But it's something that needs to be talked about. I don't think sex should be so taboo as it is in our society," she stated, via E! Online.
She added that, based on her experience, sex should be viewed in a positive way as it helps connect people: "At least for me, it was confirmation that I can kind of do whatever I want, because growing up I was told that it might not be a possibility.
"And when I found the boyfriend that I had and we dated for a couple years and it finally happened, it made me feel like a normal woman."
