'How Dare You': Man Received 'Crushing' Criticism for Dating a Woman Who Looks Like an 8-Year-Old

Shauna Rae has faced several challenges due to her appearance. She is a 23-year-old who looks like an 8-year-old due to a rare medical condition. Rae's attempt to find love was short-lived after the man she had an emotional connection with was criticized for being with her.

Shauna Rae is a small star, physically, but unlike what people think, she is big. She lives her life like any other young person in her 20s, but with one significant difference, she has a body that resembles that of an 8-year-old.

Rae's child-like physical appearance is due to a rare medical condition caused by chemotherapy treatment she underwent at the age of only six months.

Rae said she underwent chemo treatment that affected her pituitary gland. The chemo treatment caused pituitary dwarfism and a significant stunt in her growth. She noted that she took growth hormones at age eight, but after being on and off on treatment, she stopped permanently when she hit puberty:

"I was born with brain cancer… I got stuck at 3-foot-10-inches. If you look at me, you see an eight-year-old...but I think if you take time to actually talk to me, you really understand that I'm a 23-year-old."

The 23-year-old, who has been in full remission from cancer for years, added that maturity in her body is visible through the details in her face and hands. However, Rae admitted that her appearance caused people to underestimate and exclude her.

Due to her physical appearance, many people question her age and identity. She revealed that it is often difficult for her to buy alcohol or set up a doctor's appointment. "I've had multiple issues with people not believing me when I told them my age," she noted.

Rae opened up about a case where she had to sneak out of the hospital because the staff did not believe she was an adult. Even after showing the hospital staff her tattoo and piercing, Rae said they still assumed she was a child attempting to leave without a parent:

"One thing that happened recently was I went to a lab to get my blood taken…They all denied the fact that I was an adult, and would not let me leave the property without an adult to take me home."

The star, who is fighting to be seen and taken seriously, does not let people's perceptions stop her from going for what she wants. She often posts videos of herself learning to drive and tackling modern dating.

However, Swygart condemned people who made fun of Rae's attempt to find love.

She Faced Criticism in Her Attempt to Find Love

Rae is desperate to find love, like many young people in their 20s. She even joined a reality show, the TLC series, to increase her chances of finding love. It is when she was in the relationship, love, and dating reality show that Rae met Dan Swygart.

Rae and Swygart started spending time with each other, but their connection attracted widespread uproar, and the two decided to end it. Swygart opened up recently about his experience connecting with Rae on an episode of "The Sarah Fraser Show" podcast. He said:

"We got very, very close on an emotional level, it never really got physical, we kissed once... I wasn't their long periods of time... so it never even progressed into a relationship."

Swygart added that their connection did not build up to a relationship because people accused him of being improperly attracted to Rae. He noted that he was the target of a huge amount of hate:

"I felt like the world was crushing me because obviously the media and people, YouTubers as well, they categorized me in the most hated group of people on the planet. Obviously, because of Shauna's condition they put me in that category. I just felt like that world was crushing me.'"

Swygart said the hate made him lose faith in humanity. He recalled that he and Rae had once gone to a restaurant, but people began taking videos of them and commenting insensitively about their connection. "I was asked, isn't it past her bedtime," he said.

Rae and Swygart also faced difficulties going to bars as bouncers would insist on seeing her ID because they didn't believe she wasn't underage. He added that after being shown her ID, the bouncer would still not believe Rae's age:

"He's like 'no, this can't be true, no, no, no, wait no way,' but the crazy thing was, in the corner a TV was playing, and it was her show."

Swygart said the hate and criticisms he received made him lose faith in humanity. However, he was glad he received support from other people when he called out those who said Rae was undeserving of love.

Swygart added that he started receiving love from people who were against the hate and criticism. He noted that he was grateful for these people:

"A huge amount of...support came, and I'm so thankful to the world. Because that's the lowest I have ever been in my life, with the world sort of crushing me..."

He noted how these people helped him attack the negative comments he received when he shared Instagram videos. Swygart said the people who commented negatively deleted their comments, which gave him a much-needed break and allowed the sun to shine after the rainy clouds had disappeared.

The Two Remain Good Friends

The former pairing is now good friends as their connection did not mature into a relationship due to hate and intense criticisms. However, Swygart condemned people who made fun of Rae's attempt to find love.

He reminded these people that Rae was an incredible and inspiring 23-year-old woman whose only difference from the rest was that she was just a bit short. He shared in an Instagram video:

"So, as you're building a connection with her, it's important to acknowledge her disability and look past it and and build it with who she is as an individual."

Swygart added that people need to be have developed emotionally enough to comprehend that they can have a relationship based on so much more, such as personality, than just looks:

"How dare you? (...) I cannot believe some people want to deny her the right to have a friendship or a connection with someone else."

He argued that no one has permission to take away Rae's human right to connection, friendship, or relationship:

"Me and Shauna are still just good friends, getting to know each other, but I think it's absolutely disgusting the attitude of some people...I am absolutely disgusted by some people's attitudes towards her and my friendship with her."

After receiving hate and criticism due to their emotional connection, Swygart and Rae make the decision to be purely friends. Swygart noted that he and Rae were "very, very good friends" as they both keep learning and growing emotionally.

Despite the hate her connection with Swygart received, Rae has not given up hope on finding love, as she said she is still open to matchmaking.

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