Megan Fox Opens Up About Lifelong Struggle With Body Dysmorphia

Megan Fox joined Martha Stewart, Kim Petras, and Brooks Nader as Sports Illustrated‘s Swimsuit issue cover stars this year—and made a very honest confession during her interview with the outlet. Despite being publicly viewed as a sex symbol throughout her career, the 37-year-old actress said she has privately struggled with her body image since childhood.

“I have body dysmorphia,” she started in a video interview. “I don’t see myself the way other people see me. There was never a point in my life where I loved my body. There was never ever. When I was little, that was an obsession I had of ‘but I should look this way,’ and why I had an awareness of my body that young, I’m not sure. And it definitely wasn’t environmental because I grew up in a very religious environment where bodies weren’t even like, acknowledged. The journey of loving myself is going to be never-ending, I think.”

Fox also said in her interview that she was nervous doing her swimsuit shoot, an opportunity she said she manifested anyway. “Shooting Sports Illustrated Swimsuit is definitely a lot of pressure,” she admitted. “I have a vision in my head that I’m trying to achieve, so we’ll see if it pans out for me.”

Amid the sultry bikini shots, Fox added that she would like to be seen as more than just a surface-level beauty to the world. “What I most want people to know is that I’m a genuine soul who is hoping to actually belong to something and not always have to live as a misunderstood outcast,” she said, describing herself as thoughtful, articulate, and deep.

Senior News and Strategy Editor

Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.