VIDEO. In London, the vagina museum deconstructs misconceptions

• The City of London has a new museum: the Vagina Museum .
• Unique in the world, this space entirely dedicated to the vagina is free and accessible to all.
• 20 Minutes visited it and reveals its secrets to you.

In London,

Paved paths, old brick facades and shops as far as the eye can see. Welcome to Camden Town market, London attraction and temple of shopping. It is here, between a thrift store, a souvenir shop and just after inhaling the scent which escapes from the stands of world cuisine that the Vagina Museum is nestled. Doors wide open, the place is simply indicated by a sober sign. The first museum in the world entirely devoted to the female sex, the Vagina Museum recently opened its doors and is holding the candy at the Icelandic Phallological Museum in Reykjavik, the penis museum located in Iceland. The goal: deconstruct the preconceived ideas and taboos associated with the sex of women.

Apricot, berlingot, foufoune, zézette, cat or even small flower; whatever name you give it, at the vagina museum, everything, everything, everything, you will know everything about the vulva! 20 Minutes visited this temple dedicated to the knowledge of the female sex and reveals the secrets and impressions of visitors to you.

"I realized that I didn't know much about the vagina"

The gray sky and the light rain did not discourage the curious, many of whom had their eyes caught in this unusual place. A young couple walks past, slows their pace, time to see what's going on inside, before finally continuing on their way. Another poses for a souvenir photo. And many of them take a selfie in front of the Vagina Museum. Many also let themselves be tempted by a little visit. A group of Spanish-speaking teenagers giggles, with the mischievous looks of those who feel they have done something subversive.

On a shopping trip to Camden Town Market, it was by pure chance that Adele and her friend, Italians, passed by the Vagina Museum and decided to take a break. The place is not very big, but is home to a mountain of knowledge about the female sex. Arty creations and various objects are skillfully distributed in space. Everywhere, too, large panels, each devoted to a received idea linked to female intimacy. Rules, hygiene, contraception or gender stereotype: everything is discussed without the slightest taboo. For the two Italians, the visit was obviously not in vain. “I realized that I don't know much about the vagina when I'm a woman, says Adele. I learned that using a tampon while menstruating is not going to risk losing your virginity, when it's something I've always heard. ” Among the discoveries that each can make, Amy remembers what she has just learned about the clitoris: "I did not know that it measured more than 10 cm, I only knew the tip of the iceberg", pleasant the young lady.

If you stroll around Camden Town Market, take a look, it's very instructive! (You will recognize it by this sign) #VaginaMuseum pic.twitter.com/AtT9TIiykP

Remember that every woman is "normal"

Lauren, a London student, discovered the existence of this museum on social networks. "I heard about it on Instagram, I thought it would be cool to come and see. And this place is great, enthuses the young woman. Now, I know the difference between the vulva, which is the external part of our genitals and which can look different from one woman to another, and the vagina, which is the internal part. For me, it was all the vagina! You also find out the truth about a whole bunch of myths and misconceptions. ” An opinion shared by her friend Ellen: “I learned that some girls use soda to clean their vagina after sex. It's horrible ! "

In this arty and playful den, several forms of vulva are represented in drawing. Larger or smaller lips, hairiness: showing the diversity of female intimacy is a way of remembering that each woman is "normal", where porn films show smooth and hairless pubis, sometimes giving unjustified complexes to some . "I discovered that more and more women are having labiaplasties [a surgical procedure to shorten the labia minora]," says Ellen. It is shocking to learn that some people convince themselves that they are abnormal to the point of undergoing surgery for their private life! It's dangerous and unnecessary. ”

"I thought that something was wrong with me"

It is for this reason that it is "important that women learn what their intimacy looks like," insists Jenna, who came to Camden on purpose with her friend Katie. We were born with this vulva, yet I only learned this term this week! It is essential that women come here, and men too, to get to know their partner better! Earlier, I saw a mother who was visiting the museum with her daughter and I thought it was great. Now I feel more comfortable with my body. ” Same enthusiasm for Katie: “I would have loved that such a place existed when I was a teenager and that I asked myself a million questions. It's not embarrassing, it's informative and funny ”.

And sometimes even the simplest discoveries can have immense benefits. Strolling between the panels, Katie stops for a long time in front of a frame containing panties as if stained with bleach. A phenomenon widely experienced by women and which is explained by the acidity of vaginal discharge. Something "completely normal" and "sign of a healthy vagina", we learn in this museum. "Up until now, I thought to myself that something was wrong with me downstairs, that I must have some strange blood or discharge, whereas that is part of the process of cleaning the vagina," explains Katie.

A "liberating" knowledge

Visiting the vagina museum is also an opportunity to wonder about the relationship with one's intimacy, and the way in which the female sex is perceived. "The shame and stigma associated with this part of the body, it is not only something that I inflict on myself, it is also a feeling that I feel because it is inflicted on me by the judgment which carry the others on the female sex, and by the lack of education on this subject, meditates Katie, for whom a better knowledge is "liberating".

Bush, triangle, metro or full ticket, we learn that pubic hair removal is what you want and if you want. Among the misconceptions: the “myth” according to which “pubic hair [of women obviously] is dirty”, while in “reality: It is more hygienic to have it”, can we read on one of the exposed panels. "I have a very open partner, but I always used to depilate myself, to make sure I was" ready, "says Katie. Then I started to appreciate this part of my hair, to let my hair grow back. My boyfriend said to me: "but I knew you without!". I told him I was feeling better this way, but he still had trouble getting used to the idea. I replied that he had a beard, that he did not find it dirty and believed that it was his natural fur! Well, my pubic hair is my natural fur, exposes the young woman with humor. He did not give up and said to me: "but is it not more hygienic not to have hairs?" I had to explain to him that no, pubic hair on the contrary has a protective effect against sexually transmitted infections. But he didn't believe me right away. For his part, it is a lack of information. I may have to come back here with him! "

An arty… and free museum

At the Vagina Museum, everything is done to learn the secrets of the vagina without realizing it, the museum fulfilling its function as a cultural lair. "I loved the glitter stamp!" The staging is very cool, it's a real exhibition, ”notes Amy. "I like the way this museum is set up, with its relaxed atmosphere," adds Katie. Female intimacy is a vulnerable area, but here it is presented as something sacred, which should never be a taboo, ”continues the young woman.

Small detail that is important: access to the museum is free. We enter freely, without queuing and without spending a single pound (here, the pound is in progress). "It is good that it is free, because even if it is very entertaining and instructive, I do not know if people are ready to pay to visit a museum which speaks only about vagina", estimates Amy. And "like that, a lot of young women and teenagers can easily discover all these super important things that you don't learn at school," says her friend Ellen.

In addition, there are lots of cool goodies at #VaginaMuseum! pic.twitter.com/3IBrqwT1iJ

Those who are ready to take out the wallet can, however, make a donation to the museum, which was also created thanks to a crowdfunding campaign. Finally, naughty and daring minds can leave with a souvenir sold at the store. In addition to stickers, mugs and tote bags depicting a vulva, it is possible to buy a pair of pussy earrings, earrings in the shape of ... vulva, of course!

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• Video
• Vagina
• Museum
• Health
• London
• Sexuality
• Britain