By Jordan Lite

Ali Chapman has spent most of her life trying to blend in. But at just 3 feet 5 inches tall, she's found that to be nearly impossible.

So Chapman, 36, has embraced being a dwarf, otherwise known as a "little person." On September 22, she and two other little people on WE tv's "Secret Lives of Women" opened up about the challenges of dwarfism, defined as being an adult shorter than 4 feet 10 inches. The most common type of dwarfism affects 1 in 25,000 people, according to the National Library of Medicine.

Chapman, who lives in Indianapolis and works as an apartment-leasing consultant, wasn't always so comfortable in her own body. Even today, she hates asking for help at grocery stores and department stores where she can't reach the shelves.

Click here to watch Ali Chapman on "The Secret Lives of Women."

Chapman's outlook dramatically improved two years ago, when she responded to an ad seeking an African-American body double for Will Smith's daughter in "I Am Legend." Not only did she get the part, but it segued into a career in the entertainment industry. Since then, she's shot a speaking role in a yet-to-be-released indie film and plans to move to Los Angeles to pursue an entertainment career full time.

"It was life-changing and opened my eyes that dreams are possible," Chapman says of "Legend." "I haven't been down and out about this, but I haven't welcomed being a little person so great. I always felt this was a negative and would hold me back from being able to do what my peers would do, that no one would take me seriously, so I held myself back.

"Once this happened to me, I realized it is great to be me," she says. "Being a little person or having anything that makes you stand out, you become memorable. I love it."

The other women in the episode, part of the show's fifth season, also use their short stature to their advantage.

Marylou, a mom and accountant in Burbank, Calif., moonlights as a sex educator. She's studying for her certification in clinical sexology and holds sex seminars for little people in her home.

Tara and her husband, Scott, are both little people. Between them, they have six children, all dwarves, too. Like Chapman and Marylou, Tara has an after-hours pursuit: Dressed as a pint-sized panther, she's the mini mascot for the professional Florida Panthers hockey team.

Chapman is single, but hopes to marry someday and maybe have children. She has been in three serious relationships, but dating has been a challenge.

"I've been on a million dates and don't have trouble meeting men, but a lot of men wouldn't want to pursue something serious with me," she says. "Maybe they're comfortable with me but worried about what other people think. When I meet someone, I can tell the difference between who's just curious and who really wants to get to know me."

In the program, she's seen with her then-boyfriend, Jake. The two have since broken up, but Chapman says they're trying to work things out.

"We're complete opposites," she says. "I'm an African-American little person. He's a normal-height Caucasian guy. We walk down the street and hold hands and it's definitely something you don't see every day.

"One way or the other, I'd love to settle down with and marry him but if not, God has somebody for me when the time comes."

Watch "Secret Lives of Women" on WE tv. It airs on Tuesday at 10 p.m., but check your local listings.