Skip to playerSkip to main content
  • 12 hours ago
Here on For A Living, we highlight Miranda, a mortician at Milward Funeral Directors in Lexington, Kentucky. Her initial fear of death led her to a career of embalming bodies. Press play on For A Living to learn about a young woman's experience in the funeral business!

ABOUT SERIES
For A Living documents extraordinary women thriving within unique careers. From a mortician to a professional cuddler to a celebrity exorcist, we explore niche professions that women in the field are dominating.

ABOUT REFINERY29
Refinery29 is a modern woman's destination for how to live a stylish, well-rounded life. http://refinery29.com/

RELATED CONTENT
Why I Chose To Live Like Mad Max At The Apocalypse
https://youtube.com/watch?v=zKqlj1KtIxM
I Was In A Big Film & Am Still An Aspiring Actress
https://youtube.com/watch?v=pxHQClxVjrM
What $2,900 Will Get You In NYC
https://youtube.com/watch?v=8Ci3Hcyghl4

SEE MORE REFINERY29 VIDEOS
http://refinery29.com/video

SUBSCRIBE TO REFINERY29
Subscribe to the Refinery29 channel: http://bit.ly/subscribe-to-r29
For the latest trends and videos, visit: http://refinery29.com
Like Refinery29 on Facebook: https://facebook.com/refinery29
Follow Refinery29 on Twitter: https://twitter.com/refinery29
Heart Refinery29 on Instagram: https://instagram.com/refinery29/

TALENT
Follow Miranda on Instagram: https://instagram.com/mortician.miranda/
Transcript
00:00Not all bodies, but a good amount of bodies need Tissue Builder.
00:05It is lovely to help with building out faces such as sunken in temples, eyes, even lips.
00:13It's like a Botox for the deceased.
00:17My name is Miranda. I'm a mortician here at Millward Funeral Directors in Lexington, Kentucky.
00:24This is the entrance to Millward's, our casket showroom.
00:28Walnut, hickory, maple. I mean, all kinds.
00:32This room is our visitation room. We call this our music room.
00:36What I'm sitting on is an antique. This is a casket beer. It's made for casketed bodies.
00:44This is our embalming room. This is an absolutely sacred place, and no one is allowed in here without authorization.
01:00This is Miranda. She is just at a hospital over at Baptist, so that would be a pretty simple removal.
01:07I don't mind going by myself.
01:13Right now I'm going to Baptist to pick up a deceitant who has just expired.
01:21When I was in mortuary school, I learned about death care, but now that I'm working in a funeral home,
01:28I've learned more about the process of grief.
01:30I believe that my job has given me strength that I didn't know I was going to have.
01:37When I first realized what death was, I was scared.
01:44I would lay in bed, think about death, and it was like this black hole.
01:50It was anxiety.
01:53My feelings on death have affected my feelings on life.
01:57I really do live every day like maybe I'll die when I'm washing my hair and putting myself together.
02:02I'm like, well, if I was in a car wreck, it could just be cut off any time.
02:08Everything is so small in life, and you really realize the big picture when you're faced with death.
02:14Like how simple and sweet life can be.
02:20I believe that women in the death industry are the change we need in funeral service.
02:28For a long time, it was a men-driven business, and having women in this field, it's lightening the load
02:38for these grieving families.
02:48The business is so beautiful.
02:49The business is so beautiful and easy to develop.
03:02Embalming makes me feel like an artist more than a scientist.
03:06Yes, I know my anatomy.
03:08Yes, I know what these chemicals are doing.
03:10But it has everything to do with art after that.
03:16an average embalming from start to finish for me takes anywhere from an hour and a half to two
03:21hours I look at the deceased and think wow after everything they've done on earth it just must be
03:28amazing to be having the answers that they've finally been given I might even talk to them
03:38sometimes they haven't talked back yet cosmetics for the deceased really aren't like the ones we buy
03:57in stores the ones we buy in stores are going to react to your warmth of your skin that's why
04:02we
04:02use special cosmetics for the ladies I like to use more of an opaque makeup after I do cosmetics on
04:14a body and dress a body I look at that body in the casket and think maybe this is how
04:18you look in
04:18the afterlife I hope that's what families take away from what I do as well that they can have that
04:25image
04:25of their loved one enjoying whatever is next I think green burial is lovely and cremation is also
04:33an option there's so many options for cremation which I think is a good thing but I also obviously
04:43think embalming is beneficial for the viewing process viewing is number one priority this beautiful pink
04:51and white casket has been very popular with our little elderly ladies even if it's just you coming
04:58in and spending a minute with your loved one I think it's so important to view the body when I
05:06die I
05:06would like my makeup look to be like my everyday look my lipstick will be a bright red preferably Ruby
05:13woo from Mac the brighter the better I feel like I've gained a positive outlook on death more than a
05:22fear I'm
05:25not afraid of the dead body I'm not afraid of touching the dead body I'm not afraid of cleaning up
05:30I'm not
05:31afraid of just being a comfort to someone that most people would be afraid to comfort if someone dies and
05:39I'm there I will absolutely and honestly take care of your loved one as though you were taking care of
05:48them I will give them the love that you will give them I will make sure that whatever happens to
05:57them
05:57happens with respect and dignity I just hope that people can take away that death doesn't have to be a
06:05negative experience
Comments

Recommended