It’s no secret that Dove Cameron has always been super open with her fans about her mental health issues, and now, the actress has opened up about how she seriously struggled her during her Disney Channel days. While talking with ET while stuck in self-isolation, the actress spoke out about how being in the spotlight at such a young age effected her anxiety and depression, especially because she constantly felt “the pressure to be perfect.” The Descendants alum also admitted that society’s pressure on young women affected the image she portrayed to her fans throughout the years.

“I think this culture is so insidious for what is allowed for a woman, especially a developing young woman,” she explained during the interview. “I wanted my boyfriend to think I was, like, good and beautiful and pure and that I wasn’t a bad girl, because bad girls get punished. As I’ve gotten older, I’m like, f**k it. It  took me a long time to stop feeling so bad about myself [and like] I needed the approval of everybody, and to start being like, ‘I only care about my own approval.’”

While starring on the fan favorite series Liv and Maddie, she said that she “developed a clean image.”

“It felt like, if I’m going to have no one be mad at me and never get in trouble or step on anyone’s toes, I’m going to be what I know to be safe,” the 24-year-old said. “I feel like when you’re 16 and in high school, you’re probably doing that. You’re like, ‘I want to get good grades, I don’t want my parents to be mad at me, I want to dress so I don’t get trouble in school.’ I was a teenager.”

Although she’s learned to be herself, the actress said she still has bad days when she cries “so much I make myself sick,” which is exactly what her brand new song, “Remember Me” is about.

“I was like, no matter who I find, no matter who I’m with, whether it’s incredible or the worst, I will always have the knowledge that I am my own partner,” she said. “I am my own caregiver, my own parent, my own other half. I complete me.”

If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Youth Crisis Hotline at 1-800-448-4663.

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