Using the essay "How Body Modification Ended the War Against my Body" by Sharon Haywood, explain the symbolic meaning that body modification holds for...

In her essay
How Body Modification Ended the War against My Body, author Sharon Haywood explains that body
modification can have symbolic meaning.For the author, body modification can be a way to
overcome and heal from personal issues surrounding ones body, such as shame, self-hatred, and
harsh criticism.

Haywood talks about two examples of body modification:
getting her navel pierced and getting tattoos.Her navel piercing was a direct response to her
struggle with anorexia and bulimia; she always hated her stomach, so piercing her belly button
was the perfect way to reinvent her self-image and develop some self-love.Similarly, she
carefully and intentionally chose the images for her tattoos in order to reflect the personal
transformation of her body image.

Haywood writes about her tattoos:

They remind me that I am brave with the world and myself.

They remind me that I am not a victim.

They remind me of my strength
that carried me through periods in my life that I thought were too dark to move
beyond.

They remind me to keep growing.

Overall, Haywoods experiences show that body modification should not necessarily be
interpreted as an act of self-harm, but rather as important personal symbols.