Australian academic and researcher Caitlin Pause passed away “suddenly” in her sleep after dedicating her professional life to spearheading research suggesting that there is no link between obesity and health.
According to Stuff.co.nz, part of Pause’s research “explored the impacts of ‘fat stigma'” and focused on the “wellbeing of overweight people and ‘the effects of spoiled identifies’ on their health.”
Thus far there is no known cause of death, except that Australian Labour MP Deborah Russell said that she “died in her sleep” last night.
Russell added that “many in academic and union circles will be shocked and saddened” by the loss of the academic.
According to her Massey University biography, she was a senior lecturer at the university and a doctoral supervisor. She was published in multiple scholarly journals, including “Feminist Review,” and she was published by The Huffington Post.
She was recently quoted by Stuff complaining that “Everyone has anti-fat attitudes.”
“We find them in kids as young as three,” said Pause at the time. “We’re not born hating fat people, we’re not born finding fat people disgusting, or that fat people are lazy or lacking discipline or willpower.”
“We learned these attitudes,” said the woman described as a “Fat Studies Scholar” during her life. “We can absolutely unlearn them.”
According to The Conversation, Pause’s research “focused on the effects of fat stigma on health and well-being on fat individuals and how fat activists resist the fatpocalypse. She has called for a new fat ethics, acknowledging the role science has played in the oppression of fat people and ensuring that research around fatness centers fat epistemology.”
The passing of the fat studies academic was mourned by her former students and supporters, at least one of which took issue with those mocking Pause’s death and suggesting it may have been related to her status as an obese person.
“Thanks for validating Dr. Cat Pause’s entire career exposing your bigotry,” wrote Stephanie Rodgers on Twitter.
We joke about "suddenly everyone's an epidemiologist/military historian/legal expert" here on Twitter but nothing gets people naming themselves experts as quickly as a fat person dying.
All I can say is, thanks for validating Dr Cat Pause's entire career exposing your bigotry
— Stephanie Rodgers 🌹 (@bootstheory) March 26, 2022
Another student thanked Pause for “absolutely schooling me” on “fat stigma” in society, while a third student posted a photo celebrating her time with Pause.
“She truly was an incredible human,” wrote Ana McAllister. “A pioneer for Fat liberation and a great accomplice to BIPOC people.”
Truly heartbreaking to hear the news of the passing of the amazing Dr Cat Pausé. She really was an incredible human. A pioneer for Fat liberation and a great accomplice to BBIPOC people. pic.twitter.com/gMFWknGSd3
— Ana McAllister (@nope_thank_u) March 26, 2022
