World's first vagina museum opens in London

A museum dedicated to vaginas and vulvas opened it doors in the north of London on Saturday. It is a world’s first.

The museum hopes to help destigmatize this part of the female body and debunk myths around it.

“The vagina and the vulva are a hugely stigmatized part of the body, and they have lots of embarrassment. Cervical cancers are not being picked up quick enough So, in an effort to destigmatize this part of the body, that’s why we’ve made the vagina museum”, said Florence Schechter, Founder and Director of the vagina museum.

Founder and Director of the vagina museum said the challenge is not only to educate and improve self-image, but it is also a question about public health.

“I think the worst myth for me is that they are dirty and they need to be cleaned, and I think this is just going to be shampooed for having normal natural bodies. The vagina and the vulva are not dirty parts of the body, they are self cleaning and the idea that they are dirty is just another way of the patriarchy reasserting itself”, Schechter said.

Curators hope more people will be interested in what the museum has on offer.

“I hope everyone could come in. Anyone who wants to learn about the vagina, learn about the vulva, we’ve interacted men, women, people of all genders, people of all sexualities, people of all races and ethnicities, we’ve had a hugely varied audience and I hope to continue that’‘, she added.

Curators say the museum is only opened for educational purposes. It has not yet been opened to the public, but events have already being organized, attracting people from 2 to 98 years.

AFP