Shauna Rae Lesick, 26, star of TLC’s I Am Shauna Rae, has opened up about the disturbing challenges she faces while dating due to her childlike appearance.
Lesick has a rare form of pituitary dwarfism caused by damage to her pituitary gland after aggressive brain cancer treatment as an infant. Although hormone therapy helped her grow slightly, her growth stopped at 16, and she now stands just under 4 feet tall. Because of this, she says people often mistake her for a child, even handing her kids’ menus and crayons at restaurants.
Dating has been especially difficult. Lesick has said her appearance attracts men whose interest can feel predatory, leaving her “terrified” to date. “If you look at me, you see an 8-year-old,” she told the New York Post, adding that only those who take time to know her realize she’s an adult. She says she’s learned to spot “creeps” who fetishize her appearance by the way they fixate on her physicality.
Despite years of fear and hesitation, Lesick recently revealed she’s in a new relationship. While keeping her partner’s identity private, she shared photos on social media, calling him her “source of happiness.”