Tallulah Willis ‘punished’ herself for not looking more like her mom as she details body dysmorphia

The youngest of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore’s three daughters, Tallulah Willis, has been very candid in recent years about her battle with body dysmorphia.

And now the 27-year-old has opened up about how she ‘resented’ being told she looked more like her father than her mother throughout her childhood. 

‘I punished myself for not looking like my mom, after being told I was [my father’s] twin since birth,’ Willis, 27, confessed in an Instagram post where she detailed her battle with BDD (body dysmorphic disorder) and how she’s been able to cope with her insecurities. 

‘I resented the resemblance as I believed wholly my “masculine” face was the sole reason for my unlovability,’ she continued, in reference to looking like the Die Hard superstar, 66, before denouncing the thought with a simple: ‘FALSE.’

‘I was/am inherently valuable and worthy, at any life stage, at any size, with any hair do! (As are you).’

The fashion designer began the post as a list of things it took her ‘way too long to realize,’ in regards to BDD, along with a photo of herself with makeup and another without, as well as a couple of throwback snaps of her famous mother.

‘Ageing happens without your control, time passes and your face can change,’ she wrote.

The California native, who has followed her parents into acting, at times, as a child and as an adult, also shared about how people ‘need to soothe the wound within your soul before trying to “fix” the outsides.’

‘Be mindful of the special and impressionable minds around you and their access to social media and potential triggering imagery or the indicators that hyper-focusing on ones appearance goes deeper then just wanting to feel good in their own skin,’ Willis explained.

‘We all want to feel good, and confident but when it creeps into a deeper, spookier place where it begins to devour your essence bit by bit, ask for help.’

She urged others living with body dysmorphic disorder ‘not to feel ashamed,’ and that this is not a ‘stupid, vain issue’ but rather ‘a genuine psychological pain.’ 

Willis went on to offer tips that have helped her avoid ‘spiraling’ into her body dysmorphia disorder, which included taking mirrors down and implementing self boundaries like using mirrors only when brushing her teeth and washing her face.

She also suggested: taking breaks from social media; finding a safe person, circle, and/or community to vocalize BDD triggers; going for a walk; listening to music; taking a bath; and write down feelings ‘and then tear it up or burn it.’

She ended by urging people to ‘breathe. close your eyes. REMEMBER that you are allowed to take things 5 minutes at a time. for as long as you need to.’

Willis’s honest words prompted a slew of people to lend their support, including actress and plus-size model Tess Holliday, who wrote: ‘Love you.’

Moore, who became the highest paid actress in film history when she received $12.5 million to star in the erotic black comedy film Striptease (1996), also responded, writing: ‘Beautifully realized. Beautifully expressed. Beautiful to witness.’

One of the commenters offered Willis some advice she can take to heart, by sharing: ‘You are the perfect blend of both your parents, and that makes you uniquely you!’

Earlier this month, Willis announced her engagement to filmmaker Dillon Buss in an Instagram post where declared, ‘with absolute most certainty,’ along with a series of photos taken during his marriage proposal.