Man Defends Dating 23-Year-Old Who Looks Like An 8-Year-Old

Shauna, who is 23 years old, suffered a rare type of cancer as a kid that caused her to stop her growth at eight years old; she physically looks like a child but is a grown woman. Swygart, 26, said he looked past her appearance and that people should do it too.

"As soon as you say that she can't have a real-world connection with someone else, you dehumanize her. She is a human being. She deserves to have relationships and connections with whoever she wants," said the traveler on an Instagram reel after receiving several criticisms for their relationship.

Swygart was called a creep for being with Shauna. People believe he shouldn't consider Shauna a romantic interest because she looks like a kid, and they affirm there's something wrong with him if he's attracted to her for her physical appearance.

On the reel, Dan also mentioned how the two met. He said he watched the first season of her show I Am Shauna Rae and thought she was an incredible woman; he then reached out and went on a first date. Though they are still getting to know each other, Dan appears in the show's second season, but they are just friends at the moment.

The pair seem to enjoy each other's company as they go out on several dates throughout the show; however, Shauna wants to avoid being in a long-distance relationship since Dan lives in the UK. "I haven't actually really thought about if Dan and I were in a relationship and how that would look," Shauna explained.

A few days after his post, Swygart made another reel; this time, he acknowledged the hate messages he received for his relationship with Shauna. He added that he feels disgusted by the people who think she isn't worthy of a genuine mature relationship only because of her disability. He also thanked those who have been supportive.

A follower wrote, "as a person with Dwarfism thank you so much for standing up for her and our community. 👏 The close minded people will continue to be close minded. I wish they would just go live their lives and let others live there’s. Wishing everyone the best in your life paths," while others continued to criticize Dan's point of view.

Shauna has said that she is aware of the type of man who could be interested in her; however, she knows how to deflect them and, as she said, look for red flags. She stated that her parents explained this very early on and has been careful whenever she dates a new man.

This isn't the first time Shauna has contemplated a possible romance on the show. At the beginning of last year, she went on a date set up by a matchmaker with a man named Abraham; however, there wasn't a spark between them for something other than a friendship. Meanwhile, her fans thought there was no chemistry between them.

On another occasion, Shauna went out with Thomas, a 20-year-old man with pituitary dwarfism like her. Shauna was pleased with the date; she said she was interested in seeing the similarities and differences between them and how nice it was not to have to explain her condition to her date.

Shauna is constantly mistaken for a child. She always points out her tattoos and piercings whenever someone doesn't believe her; still, most people think she is lying. Shauna is currently learning to drive and manage herself financially as she dreams of becoming independent; she shares all of this and more on her reality TV show.