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A mortician has taken to TikTok to frankly discuss practices and products used to prepare people for burial.
Evie Rodriguez, who works as a funeral director and embalmer in Illinois, posts videos to the app as retseleve and promises to reveal funeral secrets.
In a recent video that has been viewed almost 150,000 times, Rodriguez describes one of the surprising products that you will find at a funeral home. She tells how dental simulators, or dental formers, are plastic devices used when a person is missing teeth or dentures.
Rodriguez explains the mouth former is placed under the deceased person's lips to reshape the mouth. The plastic product can be cut down and has ridges to grip inside the mouth and hold it in place.
She demonstrates how the technique works using a mannequin head. The video can be seen here.
@retseleve I need a new mannequin head ? #fyp #foryoupage #foryou #funeraldirector #embalmer #mortuaryscience #mortuaryschool #funeral #funeralservice
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A 2019 survey conducted by AARP 41 showed changing attitudes to death and the discussion of mortality in the United States. While 49 percent of adult Americans said death is discussed enough, 41 percent said that there needs to be a greater opportunity to discuss death and dying.
Reflecting the changing attitudes towards openness in discussing death, many of Rodriguez's followers thank her for sharing her videos and informing them about what is often considered a taboo subject.
In another video regarding products found in a funeral home that has been viewed almost 4 million times, the embalmer shows how the mouths of the deceased are closed using a needle injector to place a wire between the upper and lower jaw.
Other items used in funeral homes showcased by Rodriguez in what is now a 43-part series include head blocks that can elevate parts of the deceased's body, flags that are placed on funeral vehicles in processions, and body bags that are used to transport the deceased.
Rodriguez also discusses on TikTok common drug store products used by morticians. In a video viewed 1.3 million times, which can be seen here, she explains how common rubber bands are used to position and hold the hands of the deceased in the traditional hands crossed pose used by funeral directors.
She shows how rubbers bands are wrapped around the thumb and forefinger of one hand and the thumb of the other hand is placed between the wrapped thumb and finger holding it in place.
Rodriguez also explains common mortuary procedures such as embalming, cremation, and how airbrushing is used to cover signs of trauma.
The funeral director and embalmer also discusses the necessary steps for a person who wants to work as a mortician. In several videos, she documents her career journey including some of the educational milestones that she had to achieve along the way.
