A Museum About Vaginas?

A Museum About Vaginas?

How's that for open-mindedness? London just might get its first museum dedicated solely to the subject of vaginas. This is due to a science YouTuber by the name of Florence Schechter. Schechter got the idea while researching for a YouTube video about animal vaginas. She found that information on this subject was hard to find and she got the idea that the world needs a vagina museum.

Now before you say what the heck and wonder if this was a perv-related search and project. It's not. It's more about leveling the private part playing field. There’s actually a museum dedicated to penises. It’s called the Icelandic Phallological Museum and if you want to go see its contents you’ll have to visit Reykjavik, Iceland. The museum dedicated to all things phallic is “probably the only museum in the world to contain a collection of phallic specimens belonging to all the various types of mammals found in a single country.” In fact this intriguing collection boasts “more than 215 penises and penile parts belonging to almost all the land and sea mammals that can be found in Iceland.” The existence of this museum prompted Schechter to ponder why she could find so much information on animal penises yet so little information about animal vaginas.

So why hasn’t anyone dedicated a museum to all things lady parts?

Currently, there are only vagina-related collections and exhibits, such as the traveling art piece, the Great Wall of Vagina, small exhibits at Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) , the Dinner Party at the Brooklyn Museum, a small medical museum at the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and a virtual museum. Sounds like the options are pretty sparse for learning about the female anatomy, huh?

Schechter wants to change this. Exhibits would cover the science and health of vaginas, the anatomy of the female reproductive organs, social issues (such as domestic violence and female genital mutilation), cultural art and other vagina-related media, and the history of vaginas and feminism. In fact, in her bold plan not only will she have permanent galleries about vaginas but would also hold events. Events like “comedy nights, dance classes, confidence workshops, and plays—and it should have programs for community outreach, in addition to offering support for charities working on vagina-relevant issues.” (Of course, we hope it will have an exhibit about the history of menstruation, covering the technology used to help women handle their periods, like pads and innovative period underwear and swimwear. But we’re biased.)

Currently, the vagina museum is in the research phase to see how much of a demand there would be for such a place. It has already received mixed reviews--some women asking why they hadn’t thought of the idea first and some pushback from some women in the feminist community because they believe that having such a museum would define a woman by her vagina. Where do you land on this conversation?

Honestly, the concept of this vagina museum has us very intrigued. Would you stop by a vagina museum in between visits to Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and Portobello Road? If you’d like to learn more about the vagina museum and even get involved, visit its website here.

#vagina