As I read the body rituals that Miner describes such as “inserting a small bundle of hog hairs into the mouth and moving that bundle around in the mouth, also visiting a holy-mouth man once or twice a year who uses a variety of tools to locate any tooth decay, references men scraping and lacerating the surface of the face with a sharp instrument” it was easy to identify these to our routines of brushing our teeth, going to the dentist and a man shaving his face. I believe Miner is referring to Americans and how Americans are concerned over their body image. I don’t think there is a substantial difference between the American’s 50 years ago vs. the American’s today. We still have these same routines, we still care about what we look like
