The world’s first ever Vagina Museum is set to open a permanent site this year in Camden Market, after a successful fundraising campaign.
The museum will open to the public with its first exhibition, Muff Busters: Vagina Myths and How To Fight Them, on November 16, following a crowdfunding drive that raised nearly £50,000.
As well as exhibitions, the new museum will have a programme of events, workshops and film screenings, all contributing to removing the stigma around talking about the vagina and vulva, as well as discussing topics such as consent, body image, mental health, sexuality and intersectionality.
The project began in March 2017 as a pop-up after director Florence Schechter realised that there are plenty of penis museums – such as the Penis Museum in Iceland – but no such equivalent for the vagina.
While digital collections exist, including the Vaginamuseum project from Austrian artist Kerstin Rajnar, this will be the first ever physical museum dedicated to the vagina and vulva.
“This is a part of the body that should be celebrated,” says Schechter. “The museum is a fantastic way to spread the message that there is nothing shameful or offensive about vaginas and vulvas.”
The Vagina Museum will also run an outreach programme to support inclusive, healthy sex and relationships education, and engage with medical professionals to provide better services for the trans and intersex communities.
Muff Busters: Vagina Myths and How To Fight Them will run from November 16-February 16, vaginamuseum.co.uk
