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Miranda Mythen told Newsweek: "I quickly fell in love with the idea of providing people with a sense of tranquillity."
Thanks to social media, we are now able to take a closer look at what goes on in the life and work of a mortician.
The profession—which most of us cross paths with only when going through a bereavement or after we have passed away—has been remodeled into a TikTok-friendly life path. Among the creators lifting the lid—or perhaps in this case the casket—on the role is Miranda Mythen, known online as @mimithemortician.
"I quickly fell in love with the idea of providing people with a sense of tranquillity while they are experiencing bereavement," Mythen, who is from Jacksonville, Florida, told Newsweek. "I found a calling in funeral services."
Mythen has over 82,000 followers on TikTok where she shares insights into her personal life and career as a young funeral director, across both Virginia and Florida. While just 22 years old and possessing a love of fashion, Mythen may not be the first person that comes to mind for many when conjuring up thoughts of an embalmer. The average U.S. mortician is a 48-year-old man, according to statistics from the past two years.
Despite having had "little exposure to death" in childhood, Mythen decided to pursue a career in funeral services after spotting a sustainability hook in how the industry functions.
"I learned about natural burials and conservation cemeteries in high school, and I realized there were ways to give back to the environment when you pass by reducing the environmental impact of end-of-life arrangements," Mythen said. "This truly piqued my interest in the field as I had always been into more sustainable ways of living."
"To find out there were options for sustainable deaths struck a match inside of me," the funeral director added.
As her popularity on social media grows, Mythen wonders if a climate-conscious Gen Z viewer would feel the same way. The mortician gained viral attention online earlier this year, after a video that she shared about her career took off on TikTok. The short clip, in which she is holding up her recently-gained license to practice in Florida, has been viewed more than 1 million times since it was posted on March 29.
Mythen is elated at having passed mortuary school, and more recently, an apprenticeship, two national board exams and two state law exams to become a fully licensed funeral director and embalmer in her early 20s.
"Officially a fully-licensed funeral director and embalmer in not one but two states, at the age of 22," an overlaid text on the video read, as viewers were able to see Mythen beaming with pride and joy.
Some took to the comments section of the post to share their appreciation of morticians, and the empathy that many bring to a role that has historically been stereotyped as morbid and macabre. To highlight to the new image that Mythen and other creators are bringing to the profession, her viral video appears sandwiched between fashion breakdowns and hauls.
"This really gave me a different, better, perspective," one user, @kaylielovesspink, commented.
Another, @r0tteng1rl, added: "Seeing someone this happy about doing this job, makes me feel more comfortable about how my body will be treated after life. I love this."
"You're going to give so many people peace. Thank you," a third user, @sarahtonen, shared.
Another, @losthills_10r, added: "I wish I was as excited as she is about embalming."
Between outfit and style videos, Mythen regularly posts about her career. Anything from short jokes about filling in urn jewelry to longer clips that detail the career progression of a mortician have graced her account.
Mythen is frequently inundated with positive comments, but her position as a young, trendy and female funeral director is definitely the exception to the rule.
In 2022, findings revealed that 69.9 percent of undertakers were male. Statistics from the following year found that the average funeral director is pushing 50. Nearly 87 percent of funeral homes are family-run or privately owned, and the industry is overwhelmingly white, with 80.7 percent of morticians in 2022 identifying as white on the census.
Mythen is aware of her unique place in the industry and says that she feels grateful for the opportunity to support families experiencing heartbreak and bereavement.
The mortician had moved to Virginia after passing mortuary school. It was there that she completed her apprenticeship and passed two national board exams and one state law exam. She later decided to move back to Florida, where her immediate family all reside, and undertook a second state law exam to gain a license to practice in her home state.
"Becoming a fully licensed funeral director and embalmer is not an easy process, Mythen said. "A lot of people fail the exams multiple times!"
The funeral director passed all her licensing exams on the first try and views her dual-licensed status as a big achievement in the industry.
"Being licensed in multiple states at my age is a huge accomplishment, and I am so grateful to share my abilities with the families I serve," Mythen said.
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READ THE FULL STORY HERE: https://www.newsweek.com/gen-z-woman-shares-why-became-mortician-early-20s-1906668
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