I Am Shauna Rae - General Discussion

[chediavolo]

2 hours ago, chenoa333 said:

I think Shauna's mom doesn't consider her daughter a dwarf. Technically she might not be a dwarf but so what? She's still unusually short, not any close to a normal stature. Does mom think Shauna is better than "little people" so why let her associate with them? Shauna might have made some great friends and had some fun times. Learned a lot of life lessons from other little people.

I went on Wikipedia to look up the family "tree" of Shauna and it left me so confused. So Shauna's bio dad's last name is Lesnick (Scott). Shauna has a sister Tara with the last name Lesnick. Shauna also has 2 half sisters Rylee Rae and Morgan Rae (from the mom's side). Step dad's last name is Schrankel.

Is "Rae" a middle name? or did mom have 2 kids with Lesnick and 2 kids with another guy with the last name Rae? We know she has no kids with Mr. Puppet Schrankel. At least I hope not.

I know there's folks on this thread who are really good at making sense of family "trees" that include multiple children from multiple mothers and fathers. I'm not so thanks in advance for explaining. I don't even know if the info I got from the internet is accurate.

 

I believe Shauna  mentioned more than once that she has a form of dwarfism. Although it’s a rare one. Yeah I don’t understand the family tree and well these things happen, more concerning is how she has no interaction with other little people and how they are making their money and can afford to live on Long Island. Usually I’d say it’s not anyone’s business but it becomes our business when you put your life put out there in the public for profit. 

[overtherainbow]

3 hours ago, chediavolo said:

I believe Shauna  mentioned more than once that she has a form of dwarfism. Although it’s a rare one. Yeah I don’t understand the family tree and well these things happen, more concerning is how she has no interaction with other little people and how they are making their money and can afford to live on Long Island. Usually I’d say it’s not anyone’s business but it becomes our business when you put your life put out there in the public for profit. 

Yeah, I honestly think if she had more interaction with them she maybe wouldn't feel so alone/feel like she can't do much. Especially if she interacted with other little people that are also young adults. I think the parents have carefully insulated her from the outside world as much as possible. She seems to think she's the only one who has ever had to deal with "short people problems".

Apparently even Rylee has a cashapp link in her instagram profile. These people really are in it for the money. I'm sure all the TLC money they're getting is plenty to support a lavish lifestyle and I can definitely see them dragging it on for a couple seasons like they have with Jazz. 

[Scarlett45]

12 hours ago, chenoa333 said:

I went on Wikipedia to look up the family "tree" of Shauna and it left me so confused. So Shauna's bio dad's last name is Lesnick (Scott). Shauna has a sister Tara with the last name Lesnick. Shauna also has 2 half sisters Rylee Rae and Morgan Rae (from the mom's side). Step dad's last name is Schrankel.

Is "Rae" a middle name? or did mom have 2 kids with Lesnick and 2 kids with another guy with the last name Rae? We know she has no kids with Mr. Puppet Schrankel. At least I hope not.

I know there's folks on this thread who are really good at making sense of family "trees" that include multiple children from multiple mothers and fathers. I'm not so thanks in advance for explaining. I don't even know if the info I got from the internet is accurate.

Rae could be a middle name.
 

But it could also be likely that Shauna and Tara have the same bio father, and the two sisters Rylee & Morgan have the same bio father. 

[SunnyBeBe]

It’s my understanding that Shauna suffered lack of growth hormone due to cancer treatment as a child.  Still, having no connection with people of short stature through your childhood, teen and young adulthood must be debilitating.  How could no one have thought that wasn’t important?  

Edited February 20, 2022 by SunnyBeBe

[deirdra]

At one of the doctor's appointments, Shauna or her mother mentioned that as a child she was put on Human Growth Hormone (the standard procedure for proportional dwarfs) and could have ended up ~6" taller if they had kept up with it. How could no one have thought that wasn’t important?  

Edited February 20, 2022 by deirdra

[Scarlett45]

3 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

It’s my understanding that Shauna suffered lack of growth hormone due to cancer treatment as a child.  Still, having no connection with people of short stature through your childhood, teen and young adulthood must be debilitating.  How could no one have thought that wasn’t important?  

I don’t agree but I’m not surprised. You have no idea how many deaf children grow up in families where no one signs, how many children of color grow up in white families (either adopted or biological relatives) with no effort to introduce them to people or aspects of that side of their heritage. How many children who use wheelchairs are never introduced to successful adults who also use wheelchairs- I could go on and on. 
 

I think most parents do love their children and mean well, but there’s a lot of ableism and insular thinking (that’s often not intentional). Many parents can’t/don’t want to think about how their child isn’t “like them”. Coming from the disability space I see this a lot. 

[SunnyBeBe]

18 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

I don’t agree but I’m not surprised. You have no idea how many deaf children grow up in families where no one signs, how many children of color grow up in white families (either adopted or biological relatives) with no effort to introduce them to people or aspects of that side of their heritage. How many children who use wheelchairs are never introduced to successful adults who also use wheelchairs- I could go on and on. 
 

I think most parents do love their children and mean well, but there’s a lot of ableism and insular thinking (that’s often not intentional). Many parents can’t/don’t want to think about how their child isn’t “like them”. Coming from the disability space I see this a lot. 

I had never thought about these examples.  It boggles the mind.  

[overtherainbow]

3 hours ago, deirdra said:

At one of the doctor's appointments, Shauna or her mother mentioned that as a child she was put on Human Growth Hormone (the standard procedure for proportional dwarfs) and could have ended up ~6" taller if they had kept up with it. How could no one have thought that wasn’t important?  

It sounds like negligence on the part of the parents who stopped her treatments. There is a girl that's part of a famous Australian youtuber family (Sabre Norris) who has chiari malformation and stopped growing at 10, similar to Shauna though not exactly the same thing. She took growth hormones and is now 5ft at 17 and developed normally. It's a shame Shauna was never able to. The shots may have been painful but she would get used to them eventually and would start growing normally. 

[SDVegas]

Earlier in the season, Shauna stated that she HAD gone to little people conventions during her childhood. So she has been around other dwarves. 

[chediavolo]

5 hours ago, SDVegas said:

Earlier in the season, Shauna stated that she HAD gone to little people conventions during her childhood. So she has been around other dwarves. 

I did not hear that. I heard her say she had not been around others like her. What episode was this? She must be lying about something then. 

[auntjess]

22 hours ago, deirdra said:

At one of the doctor's appointments, Shauna or her mother mentioned that as a child she was put on Human Growth Hormone (the standard procedure for proportional dwarfs) and could have ended up ~6" taller if they had kept up with it. How could no one have thought that wasn’t important?  

Edited 22 hours ago by deirdra

Would cost have been a factor?  I don't know if that would be covered by insurance.

 

[silverspoons]

On 2/21/2022 at 8:57 AM, auntjess said:

Would cost have been a factor?  I don't know if that would be covered by insurance.

 

I do not think cost would have been a factor. She was in PA. PA is an awesome state to be in compared to most because they offer CHIP to every child (even if you make a million dollars). They have a CHIP program with extra benefits for children with special health care needs. these shots would be 100% covered.  I almost moved to PA just for this. I had a child that we went through deciding about growth shots. They are costly and it does take paperwork. But Shauna is a slam dunk yes. The vast majority of people looking for the shots had kids that were like mine that might end up at 4'-9" to 4'10" ish and were hoping for 4-5 more inches and once you are close to five feet insurance gets pickier. 

I had what was considered the best policy in my state (it was from before the ACA). The process was getting a endocrinologist to write the script for the shots, taking to the pharmacy who called and did the insurance paperwork. Then taking the shots to a clinic that administed the shots. When getting the approval, the pharmacist had a voucher and told us that any child that had insurance that turned them down (this was just usually just select  private policies and kids nearing 5 feet) the cost would be no more then $200 (and that was for  a whole series of shots).  Still I see no way in PA that they would have to pay anything. 

I think the real reason was the side effects. It is the reason, we do not countine the process . My child was at worst case going to be 4'9" , if it had been in the 3 feet range we would have keep going. My child ended up being barely 5'0" and they are okay with it (a few challenges but she makes solving them fun). 

[silverspoons]

I just watched the show since it came on D+.

On 2/19/2022 at 11:30 AM, chediavolo said:

 how they are making their money and can afford to live on Long Island. Usually I’d say it’s not anyone’s business but it becomes our business when you put your life put out there in the public for profit. 

I wondered this too. My only guess was they sold there home in Pittsburgh which had a hot real estate market and are now renting in Long Island? 

On 2/19/2022 at 3:11 PM, overtherainbow said:

Apparently even Rylee has a cashapp link in her instagram profile. These people really are in it for the money. I'm sure all the TLC money they're getting is plenty to support a lavish lifestyle and I can definitely see them dragging it on for a couple seasons like they have with Jazz. 

No way TLC paid them big for a 6 episode season. TLC is cheap. I would guess they are lucky if they got 15k for the whole season plus the free trip to NJ and PA and the outings. TLC paid sister wives 10k for the first season the Duggars $1500 for their first special. brand new 90 day couples get about 20k for a 15 episode season, It is the second season the money increases. There is a forumla of 10% of production cost is pay and the price of the trips also can be telling in what the payment is. Seaside Heights NJ is not a trip to Japan or Hawaii.

On 2/15/2022 at 8:35 PM, seasons said:

"I don't care for neurologists".

wth?

This bothered me. She can bicker with her sister but I hope she appreciates living where doctors are so close. Our county is a now a neurology desert, over 25 states are not able to provide basic neurology care in the recommended time to patients that are in emergencies (like strokes, seizures) . We have been driving over 800 miles to get to the closest neuologist. I cant imagine what Shanua would say if she had to drive 800 miles to have a 1 hour appointment every month. Even when my child went through some pretty scary (downright almost torture ) tests they were so thankful to be at a hospital with doctors to perform them. If you ever see a neurologist and they order a test and the paper has no official name or billing code those test are interesting to say the least (but very informative. 

On 2/16/2022 at 11:23 AM, greekmom said:

 

She wants to learn to drive? Learn to drive. Goddamn it. Your fucking 22 years old.  Get a car with special attachments for shorter people and learn to drive.  Yet instead of action, she just keeps talking about it.

She wants to move out? Ok, get a job.  You won't become a large, small or any type of vet on a highschool education. Why are you not in college? She could easily go away to school, stay in dorm and gain independence and get an education to obtain her dream.  But with a HS education at best she will get a job at Walmart.  

I think she wants her cake and to eat it too. Her parents pay for an apt, for the car, etc. and she just lazy and sits around the house trolling for guys.

I wanted to know why she did not learn to drive in high school even if she never used her DL. High schools by federal law have to have the peddle extenders at no cost. It is a IEP disability right (or med plan depending on the district).  Then the peddle extenders dont have to go on a brand new car like she said. They go on almost any car. 

On 2/16/2022 at 12:56 PM, auntjess said:

Too, she could go to college online, and there are a lot more jobs done online, that wouldn't require driving and a car first.
Start earning a regular salary.

 

My son have 3 types of seizures. I made sure he got excellent computer skills, he took 8 classes in high school and some in college. Then had him take some medical related classes. I knew he could always get employment if he could not drive online. He can do everything from cybersecurity and network engineering to the medical side which has growing jobs in online pharmacy, tumor registry, transplant registry , there are more and more decent jobs. My son took the classes mostly in high school and online. He would like to do something else, but at least right now he knows he can work from home if worst case happens. 

On 2/17/2022 at 11:24 AM, libgirl2 said:

I needed an implant several years ago. Insurance considers it "cosmetic" even though it was a back molar. They paid for the tooth extraction (it was cracked) but I paid almost $4000 for the implant. They insisted I needed the implant. I had a tooth issue a few weeks ago and went to another dental office. Back molar cracked. He extracted it. I asked if I HAD to have an implant and he said, no, its your choice. 

Yes, I come from a family of really bad teeth! 

Impant pricing really bothers me. My husband wanted an implant for a back tooth, root canal from year ago failed, no way to save it. The dentist told him $5500. We found a quality place for $1200. Then we came to find out many people come as dental tourists. It is in Utah but close to Vegas (if you watch 90 day same place as Kalini lives) . There are people who fly to Vegas on cheap flights, spouses golfs or gambles or goes to the spa and the other spouse gets the implants. Some people go to Mexico and it is even cheaper there but if you are looking for quality work in the US, there are options. The office is very basic, but the dentist is qualified and this is all he does , implants, all day. 

On 2/17/2022 at 2:51 PM, all4mom2 said:

The Duggars were dumped a long time ago!  These newest TLC shows leave a lot -- A LOT -- to be desired.  They need to hire fresh blood in programming or something...  Or just bring back Kate Gosselin.  😄

I would love to see just one special now that Kate is back working a regular job as a nurse. I never thought I would see the day that would happen. I cant believe she went through all that money. I know kids are expensive but not millions. Plus John got 2 of the kids so she was down to 6. I wonder if her taking a real job was to have the kids be able to get better financial aid in college?

[overtherainbow]

Have they even confirmed a second season yet?

[chenoa333]

3 hours ago, overtherainbow said:

Have they even confirmed a second season yet?

I hope she's "one and done" but I think she'll get another season. TLC will tell Shauna and the family to amp it up.

[silverspoons]

2 hours ago, chenoa333 said:

I hope she's "one and done" but I think she'll get another season. TLC will tell Shauna and the family to amp it up.

I agree. She will be the next Whitney. I see Shauna wanting to be a star and her family making her happy and playing along with the stories.  I also think she will not ask for huge money. That is the fine line, if you accept a lower amount and then make extra from cameos/social media and merch. 

This is one show I kind of hope does not come back. I checked out the TLC facebook page and I was shocked there are men posting they like her and seem creepy?

[crazycatlady58]

2 hours ago, silverspoons said:

I agree. She will be the next Whitney. I see Shauna wanting to be a star and her family making her happy and playing along with the stories.  I also think she will not ask for huge money. That is the fine line, if you accept a lower amount and then make extra from cameos/social media and merch. 

This is one show I kind of hope does not come back. I checked out the TLC facebook page and I was shocked there are men posting they like her and seem creepy?

Yes , when the show first came out I checked the Facebook page also. I agree creepy and a little unsettling. I never went back. Seemed more like a very bad dating site.

[Aaron4102]

It's official. There will be a season 2

https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/tlc-90-day-fiance-spinoffs-summer-premieres-1235267229/

[chenoa333]

2 hours ago, Aaron4102 said:

It's official. There will be a season 2

https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/tlc-90-day-fiance-spinoffs-summer-premieres-1235267229/

i was hoping this family would go away but I guess I can hate watch another season

[silverspoons]

1 hour ago, chenoa333 said:

i was hoping this family would go away but I guess I can hate watch another season

It shows that TLC loses some programming (Duggars and now my 600lb life was cut short for whatever reason) and they will take whatever family agrees to low pay and semi-scripted filming. 

I also felt like I was hate watching or yelling at the screen a lot. Every time Shanna said I could not do something growing up, all I could think was she grew up in Pittsburgh, and so did Dr. Jen Arnold , so how did Jen learn to drive, get all the classes she needed in high school, go to college and become a doctor years before Shanna. Did all help go away?  

I just hope season 2 is not every episode Shanna ordering booze and getting asked for ID or just getting asked for ID anywhere. Can we hope at least she made her choice between community college and medical college (her words!) and we see her moving forward in life. 

My guess is the whole season will be around her and her sister getting drivers licenses and looking at apartments and colleges but nothing decided, just looking at them for "episode content".

[auntjess]

2 hours ago, silverspoons said:

Every time Shanna said I could not do something growing up, all I could think was she grew up in Pittsburgh, and so did Dr. Jen Arnold , so how did Jen learn to drive,

I think there is a big difference between Shauna and Dr. Jen, because Shauna looks and sounds like a child, and Jen Arnold, while short, looks and sounds like an adult.
I don't know how she can get around this, and attact someone who doesn't have a child fetish.

 

[chenoa333]

1 hour ago, auntjess said:

I don't know how she can get around this, and attact someone who doesn't have a child fetish.

i understand your point. However, how we present ourselves to other people plays a very large part in how people perceive us. 

Shauna IMOO plays up the little girl aspect. It's making money for her so why not take the easy way to make money via TLC? Shauna will never graduate college with a degree that will give her the opportunity to have a rewarding career to sustain her through life. Playing the little girl with the baby voice for reality TV is much easier.

[silverspoons]

3 hours ago, auntjess said:

I think there is a big difference between Shauna and Dr. Jen, because Shauna looks and sounds like a child, and Jen Arnold, while short, looks and sounds like an adult.
I don't know how she can get around this, and attact someone who doesn't have a child fetish.

 

I was speaking more to Shanna saying she cant do certain things in life like drive or go to college not date. I can understand dating will be a challenge but at 18-23 she could have focused on learning how to drive, going to college and finding a career.  The more adult things she does like education and career and independent skills she gets it might help her in finding love. 

[Adeejay]

I was hoping "Shauna Rae" would go the way of that other awful show, "The Blended Bunch"; one and done.  

[silverspoons]

On 5/16/2022 at 8:15 PM, Adeejay said:

I was hoping "Shauna Rae" would go the way of that other awful show, "The Blended Bunch"; one and done.  

I was very happy (as someone living in Utah) that the Blended bunch was one and done. I was hoping Shanna would be the same way too. There are some one and done shows, that had bad timing and I would have loved to see more or at least a follow up. There was a show sextuplets take NY. I usually am not a fan of multiples shows but this was different. This family was doing it on their own, very basic living, had no car large enough to even leave the house as a family. The kids had disabilities and they were open about it. They seem to vanish, maybe moved to rural PA and one of the kids had a brain tumor and maybe the dad left? I would have loved one update. 

I guess one thing we know is any family TLC picks to move on will have drama, real or created in the future seasons. Why do we get so lucky to see Kody Brown for 16 seasons, because unlike the over dozen polygamy shows, he was willing to bring the drama for years and not really show accurate polygamy lives (maybe the last season was the most real? but 14 seasons of scripting in between). 

[Mahamid Frauded Me]

I am not sure I can take her whining and crying temper tantrums for another season. I probably will hate watch and snark the shit out if it here, so my apologies in advance

[kathyk24]

On 2/20/2022 at 12:59 PM, Scarlett45 said:

I don’t agree but I’m not surprised. You have no idea how many deaf children grow up in families where no one signs, how many children of color grow up in white families (either adopted or biological relatives) with no effort to introduce them to people or aspects of that side of their heritage. How many children who use wheelchairs are never introduced to successful adults who also use wheelchairs- I could go on and on. 
 

I think most parents do love their children and mean well, but there’s a lot of ableism and insular thinking (that’s often not intentional). Many parents can’t/don’t want to think about how their child isn’t “like them”. Coming from the disability space I see this a lot. 

I think Shauna's parents are her biggest problem. They seem content to have her dependent on them. Her mother thinks Shauna should be using a booster seat. If they knew more little people someone would challenge her attitude.

[chenoa333]

On 5/18/2022 at 9:35 PM, kathyk24 said:

I think Shauna's parents are her biggest problem.

That's for sure. However, Shauna IS an adult and can make adult decisions on her own. Her size and stature are not IMO a disability like this family tries to portray it. 

 

[overtherainbow]

I saw on another forum she has her learner's permit now, which is at least a step towards independence. 

[chenoa333]

I guess this show is returning? Sounds very compelling. Shauna gets her driver's license. Family will be torn between wanting Shauna to have her own life and wanting Shauna to live at home forever. Just like last season:  Boring. Who is still committed to watching this? Mostly sexual predators and pervs?

Edited September 10, 2022 by chenoa333

[Aaron4102]

Season 2 premieres on Tuesday, November 1st, at 10/9c

https://people.com/tv/i-am-shauna-rae-tlc-season-2-trailer-exclusive/

Edited October 4, 2022 by Aaron4102

[auntjess]

I didn't remember that it was cancer that caused her dwarfism. 
And I can't see how someone with dwarfism could be a firefighter.

[TwirlyGirly]

3 hours ago, auntjess said:

<snip>
And I can't see how someone with dwarfism could be a firefighter.

Take a look at Vince Brasco's Instagram account. 

Vince is a dwarf who lives right outside of Pittsburgh, PA, and is a Senior Firefighter. He began as a volunteer firefighter at the age of 15 with the rank of Junior Firefighter. At age 18 he qualified as a Senior Firefighter and has been working as a firefighter ever since. Vince is also in the Guinness Book of Records as the shortest firefighter in the world.

However, Vince has achondroplasia, not pituitary dwarfism. So I can't say that he is the gentleman with whom Shauna's matchmaker fixed her up. 

Edited October 6, 2022 by TwirlyGirly

[auntjess]

22 hours ago, TwirlyGirly said:

However, Vince has achondroplasia, not pituitary dwarfism. So I can't say that he is the gentleman with whom Shauna's matchmaker fixed her up. 

Yes, and he's more like some of the little people in other TLC shows, where the adults obviously look like adults, but are just shorter/smaller.
Shauna looks like a very young (read: underage) girl.  It's sad, and I can it is hard for her to find someone.

[chediavolo]

6 hours ago, auntjess said:

Yes, and he's more like some of the little people in other TLC shows, where the adults obviously look like adults, but are just shorter/smaller.
Shauna looks like a very young (read: underage) girl.  It's sad, and I can it is hard for her to find someone.

And she certainly does not look physically able to be a firefighter! 

[chenoa333]

3 hours ago, chediavolo said:

And she certainly does not look physically able to be a firefighter! 

There must be strict weight/height requirements for occupations that require you to save lives by being able to carry people of all sizes, out of a burning building. 

[chediavolo]

21 hours ago, chenoa333 said:

There must be strict weight/height requirements for occupations that require you to save lives by being able to carry people of all sizes, out of a burning building. 

I would hope so, but look at some of these petite female police officers we have, I wouldn’t want one of them coming to my rescue. Hoped the FD had stricter requirements. 

[TwirlyGirly]

On 10/7/2022 at 6:40 AM, chediavolo said:

And she certainly does not look physically able to be a firefighter! 

Who said Shauna wanted to be a firefighter? 

On 9/10/2022 at 2:41 PM, chenoa333 said:

Who is still committed to watching this? Mostly sexual predators and pervs?

Those who are able to look past her outward appearance to the 22-year-old woman inside? 

[chenoa333]

1 hour ago, TwirlyGirly said:

Those who are able to look past her outward appearance to the 22-year-old woman inside? 

Too bad she doesn't know how to show the 22 year old woman inside. Maybe she'll do it this season.

[TwirlyGirly]

On 10/9/2022 at 6:09 PM, chenoa333 said:

Too bad she doesn't know how to show the 22 year old woman inside. Maybe she'll do it this season.

I'm 4'2", so 4" taller than Shauna Rae.

Growing up, my parents focused on my chronological age, not the age I looked due to my short stature.

At 12, I started to wear makeup.

At 13, my dad would drop me off at the mall on Saturday's to hang out with my friends.

At 16, I was driving.

At 18, I would go to the bars with my friends (before the legal drinking age was changed to 21).

At 21, I was working full-time for a major commercial passenger airline, moved into my own apartment, travelled whenever I could manage a long weekend*, and went to the disco every night after work. 

Let's contrast my upbringing with Shauna Rae's. She has parents who've infantilized her for most of her life. They've prioritized assuaging their fears for her safety over allowing her to mature normally for her age. It's inexcusable. The challenges Shauna Rae faces due to her stature and body type aren't nearly as unsurmountable as the arbitrary roadblocks her parents have created to prevent her from growing up.

*For about a year and a half, I was flying down to Puerto Rico for a 4-day weekend every 6 weeks. I was having a long-distance romance with a 23-year-old blackjack dealer who worked at the Holiday Inn Isla Verde casino. Puerto Rican men are shorter than average, so that became a favorite place of mine to go! 

Edited October 12, 2022 by TwirlyGirly

[chenoa333]

Just now, TwirlyGirly said:

I'm 4'2", so 4" taller than Shauna Rae.

Growing up, my parents focused on my chronological age, not the age I looked due to my short stature.

At 12, I started to wear makeup.

At 13, my dad would drop me off at the mall on Saturday's to hang out with my friends.

At 16, I was driving.

At 18, I would go to the bars with my friends (before the legal drinking age was changed to 21).

At 21, I was working full-time for a major commercial passenger airline, moved into my own apartment, travelled whenever I could manage a long weekend*, and went to the disco every night after work. 

Let's contrast my upbringing with Shauna Rae's. She has parents who've infantilized her for most of her life. They've prioritized assuaging their fears for her safety over allowing her to mature normally for her age. It's inexcusable. The challenges Shauna Rae faces due to her stature and body type aren't nearly as unsurmountable as the roadblocks her parents have created to prevent her from growing up.

*For about a year and a half, I was flying down to Puerto Rico for a 4-day weekend every 6 weeks. I was having a long-distance romance with a 23-year-old blackjack dealer who worked at the Holiday Inn Isla Verde casino. Puerto Rican men are shorter than average, so that became a favorite place of mine to go! 

Sounds like you had awesome parents! And Puerto Rican men are handsome. 

Shauna Rae just IMOO, is always lamenting about "poor poor me." If others find her entertaining to watch that's fine. She's not deformed in any way so JMOO, she needs to do something(s) constructive with her life. Short in stature or not.

[TwirlyGirly]

On 10/11/2022 at 9:12 PM, chenoa333 said:

Shauna Rae just IMOO, is always lamenting about "poor poor me." If others find her entertaining to watch that's fine. She's not deformed in any way so JMOO, she needs to do something(s) constructive with her life. Short in stature or not.

It seems like it should be simple for Shauna Rae to just decide to take control of her life and move forward, right? After all, she's legally an adult! Stop complaining and get going!

However. She can't drive. She has only a high school education (her parents wouldn't allow her to go to college, IIRC). She has no job experience. She has no income (except what she's getting from the show now - thank goodness).

I want to preface the following by making it clear I am not a licensed professional in any mental health field.

In addition to what I mentioned, above, I believe Shauna Rae has another major roadblock to overcome: learned helplessness (boldface mine):

"Learned Helplessness  is the behavior exhibited by a subject after enduring repeated aversive stimuli beyond their control.

[...]

[T]he brain's default state is to assume that control is not present, and the presence of "helpfulness" is what is learned first. However, it is unlearned when a subject is faced with prolonged aversive stimulation."

"In  psychology, aversives are unpleasant stimuli that induce changes in behavior via negative reinforcement or positive punishment. By applying an aversive immediately before or after a behavior the likelihood of the target behavior occurring in the future is reduced. Aversives can vary from being slightly unpleasant or irritating to physically, psychologically and/or emotionally damaging. It is not the level of unpleasantness or intention that matter, but rather the level of effectiveness the unpleasant event has on changing (decreasing) behavior that defines something as aversive."

What we've learned from watching the program is Shauna Rae's parents - especially her mother - has been telling her she can't do this, can't do that - her entire life. That's the aversive. 

While Shauna Rae was born believing she did control her own life and could achieve her goals (because science has determined that's the default state), years of being told by her parents she couldn't, because doing the normal things others in her age group were doing were too dangerous for her, developed into learned helplessness. 

They did a great job, because although Shauna Rae talks about wanting to drive, go to college, get a job, live in her own, etc., there's a little voice in her head telling her she can't.

Learned helplessness. 

What's the solution? A trained psychologist can help her tear down those years of being told what she can't do, work with her to devise a step-by-step plan to take control of her life, and reinforce her new found confidence in her abilities as she works through that plan. 

At the age of 22, she's already years behind her peers, and with every passing year it's going to become more difficult for her to catch up. I would argue not having control over her life makes Shauna Rae much more vulnerable to getting hurt (physically and emotionally) than her height and body type do. 

I wish there was a way for me to get in touch with Shauna Rae, because I would tell her my story and I'd encourage her to seek counseling. Would her mother allow her to see a therapist? Could she prevent it by not providing Shauna Rae her health insurance info (if she's still covered by her parents' insurance)? Does Shauna Rae have access to enough money to pay for it out-of-pocket if necessary? How would she get to the appointments if neither of her parents will drive her?

As you can see, there are many, many issues standing in the way of Shauna Rae "do[ing] something constructive with her life".

Hers is not a "Just Do It!" situation. At all. But I really, really wish it was. 

2 minutes ago, TwirlyGirly said:

Edited October 13, 2022 by TwirlyGirly
I was correcting the spelling of a word, and when I saved the changes a quote box with my entire post in it appeared. I tried to get rid of it, but was only able to cut out the text; I can't delete the box.

[overtherainbow]

The fact that she's 22/23 and still can't properly pronounce her r's definitely isn't helping her appear older

[TwirlyGirly]

3 hours ago, overtherainbow said:

The fact that she's 22/23 and still can't properly pronounce her r's definitely isn't helping her appear older

I never noticed that, probably because I focus more on the pitch of her voice; she has the high pitch of a child. (With practice, she could lower the pitch of her voice 3 or 4 steps [notes] or possibly more - but I doubt anyone has told her she can).

But I digress; how does she pronounce her Rs? Can you show me how she's pronounced the letter R in some words you may recall her saying by spelling then phonetically the way she's said them?

Pennsylvania is home to six distinct English dialects, so I wonder if how she pronounces her Rs is due to that being their pronunciation in a Pennsylvania dialect she speaks, opposed to her mispronouncing the "correct" way the letter Rs should be pronounced in certain words.

Did that make any sense at all, or did I just serve you up a heaping bowl of word salad? I'm tired, so that's a distinct possibility. 😉

[Dibs]

I knew someone with "tongue-tie" who couldn't pronounce her Rs.  It wasn't a regional dialect nor a speech defect; just an anatomical abnormality.  One snip, and she spoke like anyone else.  Shauna needs to both lower her voice and slow her speech in order to appear more mature.  Oh, and adjust her attitude!

[overtherainbow]

On 10/21/2022 at 1:03 AM, TwirlyGirly said:

I never noticed that, probably because I focus more on the pitch of her voice; she has the high pitch of a child. (With practice, she could lower the pitch of her voice 3 or 4 steps [notes] or possibly more - but I doubt anyone has told her she can).

But I digress; how does she pronounce her Rs? Can you show me how she's pronounced the letter R in some words you may recall her saying by spelling then phonetically the way she's said them?

Pennsylvania is home to six distinct English dialects, so I wonder if how she pronounces her Rs is due to that being their pronunciation in a Pennsylvania dialect she speaks, opposed to her mispronouncing the "correct" way the letter Rs should be pronounced in certain words.

Did that make any sense at all, or did I just serve you up a heaping bowl of word salad? I'm tired, so that's a distinct possibility. 😉

I have some family in PA and none of them talk like her. She has an obvious speech impediment, you can really hear it in the trailer for the new season, she says "I got stuck at thwee foot ten inches." Which is actually pretty hilarious

Yes, I agree on the pitch. She should really see a speech therapist and take voice training. I think that would make her feel a lot more confident in herself as well. 

I have a feeling this season is just going to more of the same ridiculous situations anyway.

Shauna in a snarky tone: "I'm actually 22." 

"You're 22?" *Surprised Pikachu*

Cuts to interview. "Wow, when she walked in I was sure she was about eight." 

Scenes of Shauna talking about how super duper grown-up she is. Scenes of Shauna's awkward younger sister. Scenes of Shauna reaching for something/trying to do something but she's too short/small. Scenes of Shauna's mom suffocating her.

It doesn't look like it was even filmed six months after the first so I guess TLC will be milking this family like they did the Jennings and Busbys. I'd be curious to see if she does actually move out but I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon. Hopefully the mom calms down a bit though. There's way too much codependency going on.

[Chalby]

On 1/1/2022 at 5:13 AM, readheaded said:

One thing I hadn’t thought about and found really disturbing from the article is that she has a hard time dating because she gets a lot of attention from perverts.

I didn't even consider this until your post. That poor woman would be so appealing to a pedophile perve. I hope she stays safe.

On 10/21/2022 at 9:24 AM, Dibs said:

I knew someone with "tongue-tie" who couldn't pronounce her Rs.  It wasn't a regional dialect nor a speech defect; just an anatomical abnormality.  One snip, and she spoke like anyone else.  Shauna needs to both lower her voice and slow her speech in order to appear more mature.  Oh, and adjust her attitude!

My grandson was "tongue-tied" and as you pointed out, one snip and all was right in the world.

Edited October 25, 2022 by Chalby

[Chalby]

On 10/11/2022 at 6:12 PM, chenoa333 said:

Shauna Rae just IMOO, is always lamenting about "poor poor me."

Sorry for being stunned, but what does imoo stand for? I can make out "in my --?-- opinion", but can't make out that one word.

[deirdra]

In My Own Opinion?  IMHO (in my honest opinion) is more common.

It would be much more interesting to see her dealing with her challenges headfirst rather than whining about poor poor me. Going to a voice coach, getting pedal extenders and learning to use them, going to a tailor or learning to sew/modify adult clothing to fit her size, etc. 

Edited October 25, 2022 by deirdra

[chenoa333]

12 hours ago, Chalby said:

Sorry for being stunned, but what does imoo stand for? I can make out "in my --?-- opinion", but can't make out that one word.

In My Opinion Only is IMOO. I hate that everything is in "shorthand". But that, unfortunately, is the "dumbing down" of the English language these days. 😟