Mark your calendars because this November, the world’s first museum dedicated to the vagina will open in London. The museum was made possible after a Crowdfunding campaign raised £50,000 (about $62,000).
Founded by Florence Schechter, The Vagina Museum will “educate visitors about vulvas and vaginas while challenging the prevailing stigma surrounding them” (CNN).
Schecter came up with the concept after finding the Icelandic Phallological Museum, dedicated to penises in Iceland. She began to question why there wasn’t a museum dedicated to vaginas which led her to launch a campaign on Crowdfunder with the intention of raising £300,000.
In regards to raising money, Schecter tells CNN, “As this is the world’s first bricks-and-mortar museum dedicated to vaginas, vulvas and the gynecological anatomy, we didn’t quite know what to expect in terms of interest, and were delighted with the £50,000 we raised.”
The Vagina Museum will open on November 16 in Camden Market as a temporary location. There will be an exhibition entitled “Muff Busters: Vagina Myths and How to Fight Them.”
Zoe Williams, development and marketing manager, shares that the exhibition is meant to challenge myths about the vagina and vulva “such as that vaginas and vulvas need to be cleaned through the use of bespoke feminine cleaning products, however, the vagina is completely self-cleaning.”
The museum will also host comedy, craft workshops, educational talks, and theater events which will assist in raising funds for a permanent location.
“We want to give everyone the confidence to talk about a perfectly normal part of the anatomy. There’s nothing shameful or offensive about vulvas and vaginas. They’re a part of the body that should be celebrated,” says Willams.
