Make Myself Happy

Troian Bellisario is on the cover of Seventeen Magazine. The star graces the cover of the February issue.

In the issue, Troian talks her battle with her self-critical lifestyle, overcoming her disorder, and so much more. Highlights can be found below.

On her self-critical lifestyle: “I started self-harming when I was a junior. I would withhold food or withhold going out with my friends, based on how well I did that day in school. Being a teenager is chaotic because you’re kind of coming into your own, but you’re not an adult; you’re fighting with your parents over responsibilities and freedom.

I didn’t know what was right and what was wrong, so I think I created this bizarre system of checks and balances to create order in my world. But it really backfired.”

On overcoming her disorder: “Honestly, it’s an ongoing struggle. Especially for a woman on a show that has the word ‘pretty’ in it! Sometimes I feel like I’m trying too hard, like I don’t belong. I just look around at Lucy [Hale], Shay [Mitchell], and Ashley [Benson], and I’m just like, Why am I on this show? Sometimes I’ve felt like a fraud. Like, I’m not like these other girls – I don’t dress like that and I don’t know how to do my hair.

The minute I’m off that stage, I try to get as ‘me’ as possible. I do that by piling on my black eyeliner, and I put on my ripped tights. Dressing like myself again helps.”

To read the full interview make sure to pick up the new issue. Also, be sure not to miss the premiere of Pretty Little Liars this Tuesday, January 7.