Vagina Museum

@vaginamuseum

World's first bricks and mortar museum dedicated to vaginas, vulvas and the gynae anatomy. Website: Other social links: Donate:

25 Following24,408 Followers1,855 Posts

Beacons Website Website Bluesky

education

Is this your profile?Claim it and vaginamuseum.dirty.social is yours.Claim profile

Vagina Museum@vaginamuseum· Jul 10

Positive East Pop-up Come learn about the a holistic range of health and wellbeing programmes from counselling, peer support and information and advice to HIV testing and HIV prevention outreach. No need to register, just come say hi! 📅 24th July 🕰️ 12.00pm - 5.00pm 📍 Vagina Museum

Vagina Museum@vaginamuseum· Jul 10

Bloody Mary Film Club presents... Jennifer's Body 💋BLOOD! GUTS! GIRLHOOD!💋 The Bloody Mary Film Club is back at the Vagina Museum for a special summer screening of the cult favorite, Jennifer's Body. 📅 23rd July 🍸 7:15pm 🎥 7:30pm Tickets from £7.50 Book: www.outsavvy.com/event/37504/...

Vagina Museum@vaginamuseum· Jul 10

Vagina Museum Lates Come by after 7pm on Wednesday 15th July, enjoy a cocktail, tour the permanent exhibit and see our exhibitions after dark. 📅 15th July 🕰️ 7.00pm 📍 Vagina Museum 💸 PWYC / £10 (including a drink) / £20 (including drink and tour) Book: www.outsavvy.com/event/37546/...

Vagina Museum@vaginamuseum· Jul 10

What's on at the Vagina Museum in July? Writer's Gym A gathering of storytellers, this Writer's Gym provides a casual space to explore the written word. 📅 12th July 🕰️ 2.00pm 📍 Vagina Museum 💸 PWYC Book: www.outsavvy.com/event/24013/...

Vagina Museum@vaginamuseum· Jun 18

But thankfully, you don't need the technological equivalent of that kid at school who told weird lies to show you what a menstrual cup really looks like in the body. Science has you covered. This is an MRI scan of a menstrual cup inside the vagina. It sits around the cervix.

Side view MRI showing the gynaecological organs, with parts coloured. The cup is coloured in green, blue shows the vagina, the cervix is outlined in yellow and the uterus in orange. The cup is positioned around the cervix, its sides extending past the cervix. The entire cup is inside the vagina.

Vagina Museum@vaginamuseum· Jun 18

Another terrible AI-generated image of the gynaecological anatomy. It must be a day ending in a Y. Let's take a closer look at this wholly cursed illustration of a menstrual cup via @pzmyers.bsky.social

An awful, no-good AI illustration of the position of a menstrual cup. The cup is full of something that looks like strawberry milkshake and positioned firmly inside the body cavity with its stem poking out, It is labelled uterus (endometrium). Another arrow says menstrual cup (silicone, sealed). Above the menstrual cup floats something pink that looks rather like a brain with a screw hole in it. There is a bladder-shaped part beneath it which the stem is poked through labelled "vaginal rugae". The stem of the cup is once again labelled menstrual cup (silicone, sealed). Beneath the bladder-ish thing is a tube rather like the vagina labelled pubic symphysis, then bladder, then sacrum. It is painfully anatomically incorrect and it was really hard to write this ID.

Vagina Museum@vaginamuseum· Jun 12

And this June we're excited to host, Baobab - a space for LGBTQIA+ people who have experienced abortion. The Ad'iyah Collective will be running a creative workshop for LGBTQIA+ people who have had abortions. Crafting, creating and sharing together✨🌱💓 www.outsavvy.com/event/36735/...

Vagina Museum@vaginamuseum· Jun 12

Pearly Makers Pride at the Vagina Museum is a safe space and platform for queer creatives to show off their work, establish their business and build community. Every market features at least one trader who is totally new to the scene, as well as market veterans! www.outsavvy.com/event/36402/...

Vagina Museum@vaginamuseum· Jun 8

But suffice to say we learned our lesson. It never occurred to us that anyone would *want* to steal something under a sign which essentially says "this is very bad for your vagina". So now our cursed predatory vaginal cleaning products are safely displayed behind glass...

A perspex box fixed to OSB displaying products such as "Woo woo lift and tighten cream", canesten vulva wipes, femfresh shower gel and a 1960s bottle of Lysol detergent.

Vagina Museum@vaginamuseum· Jun 6

As the magnets in this display get more faded and bedraggled with every hand that touches them, we can see which words resonate with our visitors the most. Whether that be because they’re familiar or relatable, whether they’re spot on or dead wrong we can’t say. Nevertheless, clear patterns emerge.

A close up of a number of magnets with different words to describe menopause or menopausal people on them (negative and positive). The words include: Harridan, Compassionate, Dry, Scatter-brained, Healer, Experienced, Rage, Hot, etc.

Vagina Museum@vaginamuseum· Jun 6

In our current exhibition on menopause we ask visitors to consider the language used to describe menopause. Language matters, it reflects and reinforces stereotypes entwined with misogyny, ageism, ableism. How might we rethink our language? How can we reclaim the language of menopause?

Photograph of a display board attached to a magnetic wall. There are individual magnets with different adjectives on them visible around the board. The display board reads:

The language of menopause

Language matters. There are many negative stereotypes about menopause, entwined with misogyny, ageism and ableism.

How can we rethink our language? On the magnets are words relating to these themes. Some are positive, some are negative, some are neutral. The way we use words can change their meaning. Put some together to describe a menopause journey on your terms.

Vagina Museum@vaginamuseum· May 6

What do you wish you had known before you had your first period? Across the world menstruation continues to be shrouded in stigma, shame, and silence. Millions of children face their menarche without knowing what it is, why it’s happening, what it’s called, or what to do.

Text boxes over a photograph of the gallery. The text boxes read:
What do you wish you had known before you started your period?

"It’s the most normal thing ever and it’s totally okay to ask your friends and even strangers for sanitary products"

"How to advocate for myself, that it’s not shameful, that fainting and the pain are not normal"

"How it all worked and how I could live with it not against it."

"That debilitating pain was not normal. That having migraines every month and having to crawl to the bathroom cause walking was impossible due to cramps, was not normal. It took me over 20 years to learn this."

"Being from rural, catholic Ireland; my mother grew up to be ashamed of her period so I wish I wasn’t so embarrassed"

Vagina Museum@vaginamuseum· May 1

there is, simply put, absolutely no good evidence on whether one species of bacteria is better than others in protection because the vaginal microbiome is not well-researched yet

"Further research is required" in the TMNT font

Vagina Museum@vaginamuseum· Apr 24

A million thank yous!

Now all of China kbnows you're here meme format: Now all of Bluesky knows you're in the cliterati

Vagina Museum@vaginamuseum· Apr 1

This diagram shows the position of the drop bear rectum, labelled R. You're probably familiar enough by now to spot the lateral and median vaginas - and you can clearly see the urinary tract runs between the lateral vaginas!

Illustration of a reproductive system. At the top are ovaries and fallopian tubes. Each tube goes into one uterus. The uteruses reach a junction. From here, three tubes branch off, the outside ones being curved. A pair of ureters pass between the lateral and median vaginas. The ureters lead to the bladder, which opens into a large tube. The vaginas also lead to this tube. At the bottom of the tube is a small tube branching in labelled R.

Vagina Museum@vaginamuseum· Apr 1

If a drop bear joey successfully makes the climb to the pouch, it finds one of its mother's two nipples and latches on. At this point, its mouth is not well-developed so it has a structure called an oral shield, temporary tissue which holds the mouth in a small "o".

Diagram of a joey, a mostly-embryonic creature with rudimentary limbs. Its mouth is open in an O shape, labelled oral shield

Vagina Museum@vaginamuseum· Apr 1

This rare photo shows a newborn drop bear, which is called a joey. It was found on the camera of a missing hiker. The hiker has never been found, but authorities insist drop bears had nothing to do with her disappearance.

Photo of a pink, hairless creature which is roughly bean-shaped. It is pink and veins are visible under its skin. Its head bends slightly at an angle to its body but is the same thickness. Its eyes are covered in skin. It has a pair of stumpy arms. It is on thick hair.

Vagina Museum@vaginamuseum· Apr 1

This diagram, taken from a drop bear estimated to be two years old, better shows where the median vagina comes from. In the middle is a part labelled "sac". Sometimes called the cul-de-sac, this is where the vaginas meet. In late pregnancy, the median vagina opens in the middle of the cul-de-sac.

Diagram of a reproductive system. From the bottom, a tube labelled urogenital sinus; leads up to a large, bulb-shaped structure labelled sac. On either side of the sac, two curved tubes rise labelled lateral canal. In the middle, pointing downwards, is a small opening labelled median canal. Each lateral vagina leads to a thin, pointed uterus.

Vagina Museum@vaginamuseum· Apr 1

Here's a simplified diagram of a drop bear's reproductive tract; the specimen was opportunistically collected after it inadvertently dropped on a researcher who was wearing proper protective gear.

Black and white diagram of a reproductive tract. Description runs from bottom to top. At the bottom is a tube leading upwards. In front of it is a round part labelled bladder which feeds into the tube. At the top of the tube it is attached to three smaller tubes, roughly parallel to one another. The outside ones curve slightly. They are labelled vaginal canals. The curved vaginas each lead to a uterus. Both are thin and shaped like horns. Coming out at the top of each uterus is a fallopian tube curled like an old phone cord. Each tube leads to an ovary. From the centre top, two small tubes descend, labelled ureters. These pass between the three vaginas and lead to the bladder.

Vagina Museum@vaginamuseum· Mar 26

And in case you're wondering if female anteaters have a similar set-up and have somewhat defined persisting mesonephric duct structures... yes they do! They have two epididymis-like structures running up the side of their vaginas.

A dissected female anteater reproductive tract. It is a mostly-straight tube terminating in the uterus at the top.The vagina, in the middle, is flanked by two tubes running up the sides.

Vagina Museum@vaginamuseum· Mar 26

Here's a clear look at a male anteater's vagina, uterus and uterine tubes. The heart-shaped section is the vagina, the noodly bit in the top photo is its uterus, and the two noodly bits on the lower photo are its uterine tubes.

Two photos of the male anteater vagina, uterine tubes and uterus. The vagina is heart-shaped in two defined sections. The uterus is a long thin tube emerging from between the hearts. Sticking up from one of the lobes of the vagina are two thin tubes. These are uterine tubes.

Vagina Museum@vaginamuseum· Mar 26

Now let's look at the male anatomy. There's a lot going on here. The tract starts with a conical penis, similar in shape to the vulva. Then there's a ton of stuff going on, unlike the straight-shot tube in the female organs, before we finally hit the internal testes at the top.

Dissected specimen and simplified diagram of male anteater reproductive system, presented side by side. At the bottom is a conical penis. Above is the bulbourethral grland. Parts then come off the tube shape, making it narrow but knobbly in the middle. One nobble is labelled "prostate", another two "persisting mullerian duct structure". A stalk is labelled "vesicular gland". The organs then split off into two tubes labelled "epididymis" and at the top are two testes.

Vagina Museum@vaginamuseum· Mar 26

We'll start with females. A female anteater's genital tract starts with a conical vulva, and a vestibule into which the urethra also empties. The internal organs go pretty much straight up in a tube without a cervix delineating the vagina and uterus, right until the uterine tubes which separate.

Side-by-side comparison of a photo of a dissected anteater female genital tract and a diagram schematic. The whole system forms a relatively straight line. At the bottom is a cone-shaped vulva. Above this is a small tube labelled "vestibule". The vagina is long, extending almost to the top of the system. At the very top is a uterus, terminating in a pointed end, and two uterine tubes and ovaries.

Vagina Museum@vaginamuseum· Mar 20

Treat yourself to something in our birthday flash sale! We're celebrating with a pun (of course), so treat yourself to 10% off (we're rounding up) in our gift shop with the discount code FLAPPYBIRTHDAY Sale ends at midnight on Sunday, so *snatch* those bargains now vaginamuseumshop.co.uk

A person holds up an adorable cuddly uterus plushie. Captioned Birthday Flash Sale

Vagina Museum@vaginamuseum· Mar 20

Hey. Hey guess what. Guess what day it is? It's our birthday, and the Vagina Museum is nine years old today. The world has changed massively in those nine years. We started out with a tweet... and now we're a vibrant community space, dedicated to education and celebration!

A tweet from Florence Schechter saying "PEOPLE there is a penis museum in iceland but no vagina museum ANYWHERE. Who wants to make one with me?" Around the screenshot is a montage of people enjoying the Vagina Museum. Mia, a young musician, plays the guitar on a stage in our industrial-vibe event space. Our gift shop looks warm, welcoming and cosy with shelves of books and vag swag. Dr Alex and Katja stand, smiling, outside our blue double doors. Lily and a group of volunteers pose wearing F Uterus t-shirts, a black shirt with a white graphic of a uterus where the tips of the uterine tubes are replaced with hands, middle finger up. They echo the pose, sticking their tongues out. A huge party rages in the event space.

Vagina Museum@vaginamuseum· Mar 18

So next time you're in an old church in Britain, Ireland or western Europe, look up. You might just find a vertical smile beaming down on you.

Stone carving of a figure holding legs behind head with a pained expression. Vulva and butthole are visible. Image credit: Roi.dagobert

Vagina Museum@vaginamuseum· Mar 18

Other proposed explanations have been that the power of the vulva is a protective force. Or a wildly different interpretation that the proud hag serves as a warning against lust. Basically, nobody really knows why these carvings were so popular.

Very eroded stone carving leaning out like a gargoyle. The figure has an exaggerated vulva which it is opening with its hands. The erosion gives it something of an "oh dear" expression. Credit: Richard Croft.

Vagina Museum@vaginamuseum· Mar 18

The symbolism of putting stone carvings in a proud pussy-out pose all over old churches is also unknown. Possible explanations include survival of a pagan goddess like Cailleach, the hag of Celtic mythology, or wider symbolism of fertility.

Heavily eroded stone carving depicting a female figure holding a baby in a squatting position. The legs are parted showing a vulva. Credit: Gerd Eichmann

Vagina Museum@vaginamuseum· Mar 18

The etymology of sheela na gig is likely Irish, possibly rooted in "Sheila of the breasts", "old hag", or related to "gee" or "gig", which is still used as slang for vulva in the north of England, Scotland and Ireland.

A stone carving sandwiched at the top of an ornate pillar. The carving depicts a bald figure, legs raised to its ears, with an exaggerated vulva visible. It has a resigned "it's a living" expression.

Vagina Museum@vaginamuseum· Mar 18

The highest concentration of surviving sheela na gigs are in Britain and Ireland, but they can be found throughout western Europe. Despite the Irish name, it's likely that they originated in France and Spain and came over with the Normans.