Megan Fox opens up about body dysmorphia in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover

Megan Fox has long been regarded as a Hollywood sex symbol, but she doesn't "ever see myself the way other people see me."

"I have body dysmorphia," Fox, 36, revealed in her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover story Monday. "There is never a point in my life where I loved my body, ever ever."

The "Transformers" star said she experienced an "awareness" and "obsession" about her body from a young age. "It definitely wasn’t environmental because I grew up in a very religious environment where bodies weren’t even acknowledged," she said.

"The journey of loving myself is going to be never-ending," Fox added.

In another part of the interview, Fox said the first thing she wished people noticed about her is "aura, because I have a rainbow aura, and it's special."

Jane Fonda opens up her experience with body dysmorphia in her younger years

Martha Stewart stuns on Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover at 81: 'I better look really good'

Body dysmorphia disorder involves being preoccupied by thoughts of imagined defects with one's own appearance. According to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America, it impacts about one in 50 people, equally affects men and women and often develops during adolescence.

Even if the "flaws" are minimal or nonexistent, people with body dysmorphia truly believe there is something wrong with the way they look.

Marla W. Deibler, a licensed psychologist and executive director of The Center for Emotional Health of Greater Philadelphia, told USA TODAY in 2021 that many people with dysmorphia are convinced of their negative self-perceptions, despite feedback to the contrary.

"BDD may be challenging to recognize in oneself, because insight into the inaccuracy of one’s misperception of their body is often poor," she said.

Lana Condor didn't know she was battling body dysmorphia: Why it's so hard to spot

Fox previously opened up about having body dysmorphia in a 2021 interview for British GQ with her fiancé Machine Gun Kelly, who she has been rumored to have split from in February.

"I have a lot of deep insecurities," she told the outlet.

The "Jennifer's Body" actress said that although some might perceive that beautiful people have "easy" lives, "They most likely don’t feel that way about themselves."

Contributing: Jenna Ryu

'I actually got ridiculed': Megan Fox gets candid about 'misogynistic' Hollywood beginnings

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Megan Fox discusses body dysmorphia in her SI Swimsuit cover