Social storm against Dan Swygart, British travel blogger accused by his followers of being “sick” because his girlfriend, 23-year-old Shauna Rae, “looks eight”.
The young woman had growth problems due to a brain tumor, her story is told in a reality show in which she showcases the problems she has faced over the years and how she managed to get where she is now.
The couple met right through the show: after watching the first season, Swygart sent Shauna a bouquet of flowers, and then asked her out.
Their romantic relationship is told in the second season of the reality show. Someone on social media called them “disturbing”, but the young woman replied in an interview with the New York Post: “I’m always underestimated, everyone thinks I’m a little girl”.
Rae weighs 22 kg and is 116 cm tall. Despite the criticisms, the two are still together: he is from the United Kingdom, she is American.
The 26-year-old shared some photos with his partner on Instagram, including a video in which he defends their relationship: “She is a human being. She deserves to have relationships and connections with whoever she wants. And I think some people aren’t emotionally mature enough to understand that you can have a deep connection based on personality rather than just looks.”
Swygart has received support from several people with disabilities who have thanked it for normalizing the problem. “I am absolutely disgusted by the attitude of some people towards him – concluded the young man – I can’t believe some people who deny her the right to have a friendship or bond with someone else”.
