Camden canals: The Vagina Musuem has found a permanent home. Photo / Supplied
Camden canals: The Vagina Musuem has found a permanent home. Photo / Supplied
The fact that the world of museum curation is one big sausage party might not come as a surprise, however a new London attraction aims to change this.
A new Vagina Museum is set to open and it is the first of a kind.
The world's first bricks and mortarmuseum dedicated to gynaecological anatomy is located in Camden Market, north London.
Director Florence Schechter said the project was started after discovering Reykjavik had a 'museum to manhood' but she could not find an equivalent building anywhere dedicated to the female reproductive organ.
Vagina Museum founder, Florence Schechter (right), with volunteer, Jasmine Evans. Photo / Nicole Rixon, Supplied
"This is a part of the body that should be celebrated," said Schechter. "The museum is a fantastic way to spread the message that there is nothing shameful or offensive about vaginas and vulvas."
Iceland's penis museum and Korea's Haeshindang "Penis" Park are already firm favourites of the tourist route. However the fact there was no space dedicated to lady parts seemed like a grave omission to Schechter.
When Schechter's museum was registered she discovered it was the "first UK charity with the word vagina in its title".
The project started as a pop-up space in 2017 to build awareness for women's issues, and since then the Vagina Museum has worked with research groups and activists to find a permanent space.
In July the group held a successful crowdfunding campaign which helped the organisation raise £50,000 to help them move into their new Camden premises.
The museum's first exhibition will be entitled "Muff Busters" and will be a debunking of "myths and misconceptions" about the female anatomy.
Opening on November 16 the temporary exhibition space will host a preview for celebrity guests who can't wait to have a look inside.
"I'm in love with the Vagina Museum," said evolutionary biologist turned comedian Sara Pascoe, praising the exhibitions for "replacing shame with art, replacing mystery with inspiration and conversation."
Dr Alison Wright of the Royal College of Obstetricians said they express their support for the project and have "recently collaborated with the museum to engage women in conversations about some of the taboos that exist around women's health."
The choice of Camden Market for the site of the museum was no accident, with plenty of support from the community and local council.
"Camden has a proud and radical history of challenging prejudice and orthodoxy. We are therefore incredibly excited that the Vagina Museum is seeking to establish in Camden," said Camden councillor Georgia Gould.
Back during the funding stages for the project research into the social taboos and embarrassment caused by saying the word. Quizzing the UK general public the charity Jo's Trust found that 65 per cent of 16-25 year olds had a problem with saying the world "vagina" and, more worryingly, more than a quarter of women under 30 were "too embarrassed" to go for a cervical screening.
"We believe the museum will be a huge asset to help people to understand women's health and to talk about it more openly," said Dr Wilson.
