Shauna Rae hopes to get a new tattoo in honor of her grandfather. She goes to the tattoo shop in this EXCLUSIVE preview of the January 18 episode of I Am Shauna Rae and asks for a chocolate-covered cherry and the date “February 14, 2021.” Her grandfather’s favorite candy was chocolate-covered cherries.
When Shauna walks up to the front desk, the tattoo artist asks how old she is. She politely tells him that she’s 22 years old and shows him her past tattoos. For Shauna, the questions are nothing unusual.
“So walking into a tattoo shop, it’s a strange feeling,” Shauna admits. “It’s almost like walking into a bar. You’re either gonna get carded or not, and either they have respect for you or they don’t. Even though it’s a different circumstance, it’s a very similar feeling.”
Shauna has a fun and lively conversation with the tattoo artist. “She’s a firecracker,” he says. He also adds that he’d love to hang out with her. The tattoo artist bonds with Shauna because he’s a bigger guy and gets judged for that.
“I can relate to Joel because he has gone through the same kind of pre-judgmental experiences that I have gone through, but on the opposite spectrum,” Shauna says. “He’s taller, he’s a wider person, he’s covered in tattoos, and those are all stereotypes for someone who could hurt you.”
The new TLC series follows Shauna as she tries to navigate a normal adult life despite looking like a child. Shauna was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer when she was 6 months old. Her treatment allowed for remission, but there was one major side effect — she stopped growing. The chemotherapy made her pituitary gland almost dormant, leaving Shauna with a childlike appearance and standing at only 3 feet and 10 inches tall– the average size of an 8-year-old. Now, Shauna is 22. I Am Shauna Rae airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on TLC.