Megan Fox Reveals She Has “Never” Loved Her Body in Her Whole Life Due to Body Dysmorphia | “Deep Insecurities”

"The journey of loving myself is going to be never-ending, I think," Megan Fox said as she reflected about her relationship with her body during her childhood.

Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Mike Coppola

By Suchitra B

May 17, 2023

Posted May 17, 2023

Megan Fox is opening up about her body image issues and self-perception.

The 37-year-old Johnny & Clyde actress admitted in a video for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2023 issue that she still battles with viewing her body positively. "I have body dysmorphia — I don't ever see myself the way other people see me," Fox said. "There's never a point in my life where I loved my body, never, ever."

Megan Fox is opening up about her body dysmorphia: "There is never a point in my life where I loved my body, ever ever." https://t.co/wrKQT7CRIG
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) May 16, 2023

"When I was little, that was an obsession I had of, like, but I should look this way," the actress explained. "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 acknowledged."

"The journey of loving myself is going to be never-ending, I think," Fox continued, per PEOPLE. The actress is one of four cover stars of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit's 2023 issue, alongside Martha Stewart, Kim Petras, and Brooks Nader.

Megan Fox, the latest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model, is getting candid about her body image -- and finally addressing the internet's obsession with her "weird" thumbs.https://t.co/Cv1UVhPKKI
— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) May 16, 2023

Fox wore a swimsuit made of gold coins and an ornate body chain for the magazine special. "Shooting Sports Illustrated Swimsuit is definitely a lot of pressure," the mom of three told the outlet. "I have a vision in my head that I'm trying to achieve, so we'll see if it pans out for me." Fox, who is in a relationship with musician Machine Gun Kelly, 33, added, "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."

Megan Fox covers the latest issue of Sports Illustrated pic.twitter.com/dNkzZcZ3Zq
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) May 16, 2023

Fox originally revealed she suffered from body dysmorphia and had "a lot of deep insecurities" in an interview with British GQ Style in October 2021. "We may look at somebody and think, 'That person's so beautiful. Their life must be so easy.' They most likely don't feel that way about themselves," she said.

Megan Fox
"Yeah, I have body dysmorphia," Fox told the British GQ Style. "I have a lot of deep insecurities.

"We may look at somebody and think, 'That person's so beautiful. Their life must be so easy'. They most likely don't feel that way about themselves."#youthmin #meganfox pic.twitter.com/jGZT2NunYY
— Youth Culture Report (@youthculturerep) June 24, 2022

According to the Mayo Clinic, body dysmorphia is a mental health issue in which a person can't stop being fixated on a perceived defect or flaw in their look. Anxiety and anguish can result from the disease, making it difficult to function in social interactions and daily life.

Fox did not elaborate on how body dysmorphic disorder impacts her, but she has previously revealed other mental health difficulties, sharing in an ET interview that she nearly reached a "breaking point" after the 2009 release of Jennifer's Body because she was continually sexualized in films and media. "It wasn't just that movie, it was every day of my life, all the time, with every project I worked on and every producer I worked with," Fox said at the time.