Megan Fox is a celebrity 'sex symbol'. Body dysmorphia means she's "never ever" loved her body.

For everyone with any memory of the 21st century thus far, Megan Fox will be front of mind when you hear the (albeit rather gross) words 'sex symbol'.

The Transformers and Jennifer's Body star has long been considered one of the hottest women to walk the face of the earth, with plenty of men's magazine lists and fanfare to back it up.

But despite more external validation than she knows what to do with, Fox has always struggled to love her body. 

This year, Fox is one of four Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition cover stars.

Megan Fox covers the latest issue of Sports Illustrated pic.twitter.com/dNkzZcZ3Zq

— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) May 16, 2023

In an interview with the publication, Fox spoke about having body dysmorphia.

"I have body dysmorphia. I don't ever see myself the way other people see me," she said. 

"There is never a point in my life where I loved my body, never ever."

She said she had an "obsession" and "awareness" of her body even as a young child, and wasn't sure where that came from.

"I remember being little, I would go in the bathroom and pull my shirt up and check to see if I had boobs yet," she said, laughing.

Fox said she expected to be on a "never-ending" journey to loving herself.

She also addressed online discussion about her clubbed thumbs — which are shorter than normal due to a genetic mutation.

"I don't know why people are so fascinated by my thumbs. They're just kind of short. Is it really that crazy?" she said, adding she was not "embarrassed" about them.

"I think I have tons of other flaws that are way more interesting than my thumbs. I don't know why people focus on that. I don't know."

Image: Getty.

Fox — who has three children with ex-husband Brian Austin Green — has spoken before about having a personal image of herself at odds with the rest of the world.

"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 told GQ during a joint 2021 interview with on-/off-fiancé Machine Gun Kelly.

"I have a lot of deep insecurities."

At the time of the Sports Illustrated photoshoot, Fox said she "hopes that the photos are beautiful and the frequency that comes off of them are just a healthy, good girl".

"I hope people take away what I always hope they take away — that I'm a thoughtful, articulate, deep person," she said.

Feature image: Getty/Sports Illustrated.