New show about a woman who is 22 but looks 8 has viewers concerned

TLC premiered a new show called I Am Shauna Rae Tuesday night, about a 22-year-old woman who is "trapped in the body of an eight-year-old."

At just six months old, doctors discovered a very aggressive cancerous tumor on Shauna's head. After surgery and two to three years of chemotherapy, Shauna was deemed cancer-free. However, doctors later discovered that her pituitary gland was close to dormant, so all of her growth hormones produce much slower.

"I got on growth hormones but, unfortunately, the doctor told me I was done growing. My bones were fused at 16. So I didn't have this realization that I wasn't gonna be normal until I was 16. That moment was almost, like, the world shattered," admitted Shauna.

Now, at 22 years old, Shauna stands at three feet 10 inches and weighs around 50 pounds. However, what Shauna wants more than anything is some independence.

"I want to live my life like my friends and my sisters do, but I need my mother, my father, and the rest of the world to realize that I'm an adult," said Shauna.

Viewers immediately fell in love with Shauna and her new show because of her humor and fun personality. However, one thing that seemed to concern many people is her dating life.

"My romantic life kind of sucks. I think I've dated, like, seven people. I attract creeps, a**holes. You know? Like, the typical quote-unquote bad boy picture kinda situation. And idiots! My last relationship had ended specifically because he didn't wanna go out to a restaurant with me or just go out and take a walk with me. And those are the kind of things that I look for as red flags," explained Shauna.

"There is plenty of bad situations that can happen when it comes to people that wanna date me," explained Shauna. "The attraction to younger people, children exactly, is an issue. And there have been times that I've attracted that. And they haven't been, like, super old creepy guys all the time, but sometimes they are, sometimes they're younger, and it's just creepy."

Shauna's stepfather also shared, "The problem with online is, you don't know what their intentions are. I mean, are they allowed within 500 yards of an elementary school? I mean, those are serious concerns of mine."

While dating is certainly something Shauna wants in her life, ultimately, it's her independence that she is most focused on. "I'm working on my Independence. The things that are holding me back really are the finances, the fact that I can't drive yet. And my parents need to learn to loosen the reins, and I don't know if my mom will ever do that," stated Shauna.

Video Transcript

SHAUNA RAE: I'm not a little girl. I'm a woman-- a 22-year-old woman trapped in the body of an eight-year-old.

KYLIE MAR: On Tuesday, TLC premiered a new show called "I am Shauna Rae." When Shauna was just six months old, a very aggressive cancerous tumor formed on her head. After surgery and two to three years of chemotherapy, Shauna was deemed cancer free. However, doctors later discovered that her pituitary gland was close to dormant, which meant she was done growing.

SHAUNA RAE: My bones were fused at 16 so I didn't have this realization that I wasn't going to be normal until I was 16.

KYLIE MAR: Viewers immediately fell in love with Shauna and the show because of her humor and fun personality. However, one thing that seemed to concern many people is her dating life.

SHAUNA RAE: There is plenty of bad situations that can happen when it comes to people that want to date me. The attraction to younger people-- children exactly-- is an issue.

KYLIE MAR: According to Shauna, she often attracts creeps.

SHAUNA RAE: There have been times that I've attracted that, and they haven't been like super old creepy guys all the time but sometimes they are. Sometimes they're younger and it's just creepy.

KYLIE MAR: Viewers definitely had some thoughts when it comes to Shauna dating as most seem to be concerned that anyone interested in her might have the wrong intentions, like this person who tweeted "If a guy swipes right on Shauna Rae's dating app profile, they probably should have their computer hard drive examined." And it's a serious concern that even her stepfather thinks about.

- The problem with online is you don't know what their--

- [? Really ?] [? are. ?]

- --intentions are.

- Yeah.

- I mean, are they allowed within 500 yards of an elementary school?