Death is a very mysterious thing. It’s something that’s seldom talked about and is still considered to be a huge taboo. However, mortician Caitlin Doughty tackles death head on, answering the world’s burning questions, addressing misconceptions and discussing controversial cases. Doughty started her YouTube channel in 2011 and began with answering some of the most requested questions about death. Today, she’s accumulated over 1.4 million subscribers and has published three bestselling books: 2014’s “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory,” 2017’s “From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death” and 2019’s “Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? Big Questions from Tiny Mortals about Death.” Through these ventures, Doughty has become somewhat of a death celebrity and has informed millions of curious viewers about some seriously fascinating topics along the way.
Although Doughty addresses death topics far and wide, many of her videos deal with the ins and outs of a funeral home. Doughty has worked in the funeral industry for many years and with this experience, is able to spill the tea on many common behind-the-scenes practices, from preparing the body for an open casket viewing to giving a body a mortuary makeup look. Her cherry disposition helps to make the process seem a little less scary and she offers great perspective on the different options available. Diehard Doughty fans will also know that she runs her on funeral home, Clarity Funerals, which provides sustainable practices and natural burials.
But the fun doesn’t stop there. In addition to knowing about all the processes and practices of preparing the dead, Doughty is quite the history buff. She’s exceptionally well read on death history and able to drop facts on titillating topics such as the worst way to die (it’s horrifyingly disgusting), what happened to the bodies left on the Titanic and the truth behind some of the most famous corpses of all time. As it turns out, unsurprisingly, the people of the past handled the dead VERY differently than we do today.
Take a look at some of Doughty’s most recent videos, many of which discuss the current COVID-19 pandemic. Then let us know your thoughts on this story in the comments section on social media.
