Analysis Of Body Ritual Among The Nacirema By Horace Miner

Horace Miner’s perception about, the appearance and health, was a little bit of a reach, but very true on how our culture is revolved around beauty and perfecting our image just to fit in to the eyes of others; men and women. This becomes clear after reading Horace Miner’s article “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema.” Miner writes about an odd tribe with strange rituals that may seem a bit weird to the outsider. The author tells a story of how the American culture has an obsession with, “The appearance and health.” Although, it might be a little exaggerated, I still agree with how our culture is so fascinated with the beauty and perfecting our image just to fit into the society or culture, even as far as getting others to like us. Foundation

He also noted that their lovers would not be attracted to them if they did not have perfect teeth. There are so many rituals that are taught early on in children’s lives that stay with them throughout their adulthood and dental hygiene is one of them. All of these beliefs and rituals become part of our culture, so it slowly end up being a necessity in our everyday lives and the people we share it with. As an example, my aunt is a bit overweight, she went for a job interview but ended up getting denied the job even though she was qualified for the job down to the T. She claimed that the interviewer had looked more into her appearance than her degrees and experience. The interviewer told her that they are looking for someone with a more professional look for the job. The first thing people look at are our teeth when we smile, but since dental procedures are so expensive not everyone can afford them. Attractive people with good teeth will most likely find a job much faster than an unattractive person. It might be considered as discrimination in some eyes, but it is true and most people can relate to