Vagina museum
The Vagina Museum is a museum in London, UK that opened in October 2019. The museum's founder, Florence Schechter, hopes that the museum exhibits will create discussion and curb inhibitions around gynecology.[1]
When interviewed by the Canadian Broadcasting Corportation (CBC) Schechter noted:
Yeah. So we put on what is essentially a vulva suit. It was like a dress-up costume where it turns your whole body into a vulva and your head is the clitoris. It was a lot of fun. Very warm. [2]
It is notable that this is anatomically incorrect as the clitoris is a large organ that extends well into the female body. It would be more accurate to say that when wearing the suit the wearers head would be the head of the clitoris.
It is notable that no one has dressed up as a penis at the The Icelandic Phallological Museum.
During the same CBC interview Schechter noted:
Yes exactly. Yeah. The name was quite difficult, because the museum is going to be about everything from the ovaries and the uterus, to the clitoris and the labia and everything in between. So the most accurate sort of name would actually be the Gynecological Museum.
But obviously, that sounds super gross. Like who would go to that, except like, medical students? So we were trying to think, "What can we use that's actually accessible?" [3]
This is a strange position to take given that the stated aim of the museum is to curb inhibitions around gynaecology.
The mission statement of the museum establishes it as an intersectional feminist institution:
01.
Spread knowledge and raise awareness of the gynaecological anatomy and health
02. Give confidence to people to talk about issues surrounding the gynaecological anatomy
03. Erase the stigma around the body and gynaecological anatomy
04. Act as a forum for feminism, women’s rights, the LGBT+ community and the intersex community
05. Challenge heteronormative and cisnormative behaviour
06. Promote intersectional, feminist and trans-inclusive values
The museum has held exhibitions with titles like Female Sexuality and the Male Gaze.[4]
See Also
External Links
References
- ↑ https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-friday-edition-1.5291428/world-s-first-vagina-museum-set-to-open-next-month-in-london-1.5291447
- ↑ https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-friday-edition-1.5291428/world-s-first-vagina-museum-set-to-open-next-month-in-london-1.5291447
- ↑ https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-friday-edition-1.5291428/world-s-first-vagina-museum-set-to-open-next-month-in-london-1.5291447
- ↑ https://www.vaginamuseum.co.uk/events/eventscalendar#/event/female-sexuality-and-the-male-gaze-part-1-art-history