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GOING AGAINST THE GRAIN
企业 2022-07-20 19:41:45- Wearing burial clothes: A young woman deals with fear, death and self-worth。
Death is taboo in many cultures. It often appears in literature and mythology as sorrowful, macabre and even ghastly figures. Modern-day morticians are hence regarded by many as a plague to stay far away from.
Ren Sainan chanced upon the funeral industry three years ago. With a degree in e-commerce, she joined an online retailer that deals in funeral supplies after several failures in attempting to get a "normal" job upon graduation.
"My husband, who was back then my boyfriend, persuaded me to take a crack at this job. He said: 'Every trade has a master,'" Ren told CGTN.
The 26-year-old from the central province of Henan can do it all – designing burial clothing, realizing those designs by working with tailors, attending to customers and, on top of those talents, being a model. Wearing new burial garments for livestreaming is part of her daily job, like many of her colleagues of similar age
"I was resistant when I first put on a burial gown for a livestreaming session. I thought that it would be a bad omen to wear garments intended for the deceased."
For a long time, she was haunted by nightmares about these gowns, cinerary caskets and all those decorations her company made for the deceased.
It took her four months to fully accept this job as she gradually found courage from her customers. When she posted pictures of herself in burial clothes, they didn't attack her as she had once feared; instead, they showed appreciation and sometimes asked for the website where they can buy the attire for their loved ones or even themselves.
"They encouraged me to keep going while leading me to reexamine the notion of death," she said.
"Everyone has a story"
Working in the funeral industry can be challenging as well as meaningful. Ren vividly remembered back in 2018 when an elderly couple visited the store looking for an elegant burial gown for their 29-year-old daughter who was dying of cancer.
"The doctor told them to prepare a burial suit for their daughter as there was not much time left for her. They'd sear.
