Back in 2017 our editor Kate Stone spoke to Florence Schechter about her new project, a Vagina Museum which existed online. Now it’s set to be the world’s first bricks and mortar museum dedicated to vaginas, vulvas and gynaecological anatomy, the Vagina Museum, (fun fact: the first and only registered charity in the UK with vagina in its title) is positioned to open in Camden Market in November 2019. But to make this a reality, the museum needs your help and £300,000 to do it! The Vagina Museum charity has launched a crowdfunder to achieve this.
Sara Pascoe, says “I’m in love with the Vagina Museum – replacing shame with art, replacing mystery with inspiration and conversation. An exploration of the symbolism within our biology.”
Rufus Hound says: “The myriad ways in which our sisters are encouraged to feel shame at who they are – and how they are made – is part of an ongoing system of patriarchal oppression. The Vagina Museum is part of overthrowing that oppression and deserves nothing but respect and support. So, respect and support it.”
Why a Vagina Museum? While the name might shock or even make you giggle at first, stigma has real-world consequences:
● If you can’t even use the word vagina, think how tremendously that impacts your health… 65% of 16-25 year olds say they have a problem using the words vagina or vulva and more than 1 in 10 of 16-35 year olds said they found it very hard to talk to their GPs about gynaecological health concerns. Nearly a third admitted that they had avoided going to the doctors altogether with gynaecological issues due to embarrassment (Eve Appeal, 2016) Over a quarter (26.7%) of 25-29 year olds in Britain are too embarrassed to attend cervical screening (Jo’s Trust, 2017)
● Mental Health and a Crisis of Body Image There has been a 500% increase in the number of labiaplasties on the NHS between 2002 and 2012. A huge driver of this has been the “unrealistically narrow representations of vulval appearance in popular culture” (RCOG, 2012)
● A Dedication to Inclusivity and Intersectionality Four in five LGBT people who have experienced a hate crime or incident didn’t report it to the police (The Gay British Crime Survey, 2013)
● Consent: Words are Power Only around 15% of those who experience sexual violence report to the police (An Overview of Sexual Offending in England and Wales, 2013)
● Not Just Vagina Owners Need to Know about Vaginas Half of men wouldn’t feel comfortable chatting about gynaecological issues with a female partner, and many said they still see the vagina as ‘shrouded in mystery’ (Eve Appeal, 2017) With a Vagina Museum, all people can learn that there is nothing shameful or offensive about vaginas and vulvas and by fighting stigma, we can be a part of helping solve these problems.
By opening the first Vagina Museum premises, they can host an outreach programme that includes supporting healthy and inclusive sex and relationships education, engaging with doctors and other medical professionals to provide better services and supporting the trans and intersex communities. A packed events programme will include talks, panels, workshops, classes, comedy nights, performances and so much more! In support of the Museum’s mission an advisory and board of trustees has been launched that includes a hugely diverse group of people from all walks of life including medical professionals; scientists; academics in gender studies, literature and history of sex work; curators; activists working in LGBT+ rights, fighting FGM and supporting people in poverty who menstruate; and sex educators.
Councillor Georgia Gould, Leader of Camden Council, says: “Camden has a proud and radical history of challenging prejudice and orthodoxy, however, we acknowledge that the stigma associated with talking about gynaecological health has meant ignorance, confusion, shame, and poor medical care for too many. 65 % of 16-to-25 year olds say they have a problem using the word vagina or vulva with almost half of 18-to-24 year old women say they are too embarrassed to talk about sexual health issues. We are therefore incredibly excited that the Vagina Museum is seeking to establish in Camden, and hope that it is funded to provide an inclusive and intersectional centre for learning, creativity, activism, and outreach that will add immeasurably to our collective understanding of our bodies.”
You can donate to the crowdfunder here!
