Vagina Museum
@vagina_museum
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World's first bricks and mortar museum dedicated to vaginas, vulvas and the gynae anatomy.
275-276 Poyser Street, E2
Joined March 2017
We are unfortunately crowdfunding again. We approached more than 15 arts and heritage funders to support an exhibition about menopause. None chose to do so. We find ourselves in a situation where nobody wants to fund menopause - so we’re asking you.
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Do you find lighter patches in your dark underwear? IT'S NORMAL! Your vagina is acidic and has a pH of 3.8-4.5. That's acidic enough to bleach fabric, and that's what's happening.
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Since it's #InternationalMensDay, here's a thread of every part of the gynaecological anatomy that is named after a man, with a bit of trivia about each man. Some of the bits are very specific. Before you ask, there are no parts of the gynaecological anatomy named after women. .
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In 2014, a 70 year old cis man who had fathered four children went to hospital in Kashmir with an inguinal hernia. Everything about him and his life had so far been ordinary - except that the hernia turned out to be his uterus with an ovarian tube and broad ligament.
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In 19th century Europe, C-sections were performed only in direst need and maternal mortality was very high. At the same time in Africa, indigenous people were performing the operation successfully saving both. Have a #BlackHistoryMonth thread on Banyoro obstetric surgery.
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This hairy lady is supposed to be Mary Magdalene. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Mary Magdalene was frequently depicted covered in body hair. You probably have Questions about this, starting with "why" and ending with "WTF". We'll try our best to answer them.
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it turns out at least one person needs to hear this today, so let us clear things up and set the record straight: you can't put a vagina in another vagina.
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We don't know much about how people dealt with their periods in the past, because due to taboos, it often wasn't written down. This means one of the most direct accounts of dealing with periods in the 18th century comes from. a murder trial.
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You might have noticed that Mary's boobs are out in most of these depictions, despite the story clearly specifying the purpose of the hair was to hide her boobs. We don't have an explanation for that. Artists just liked painting titties is the likely reason.
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In the original Maori folklore, Māui from Moana died when he climbed inside the vagina of Hine-nui-te-pō, the goddess of death. She didn't like him being there so she crushed him with the obsidian teeth she has in her vagina.
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It took us weeks to find a first aid trainer who had a CPR training mannequin with breasts. We wanted our first aiders to learn correct CPR techniques when breasts are present, because our visitors are more likely to have breasts! A default training mannequin doesn't have breasts.
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This #InternationalWomensDay we're going to talk about trans women in history. We've turned replies off, because we know some people would prefer these stories to be erased and silenced.
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Got a sweaty vulva today? That's normal! You're not some frightful little moist goblin. Vulvas get sweaty, too. Here's some things you can do (and some things you absolutely shouldn't do) to make it feel less swampy down there.
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We've published a new guide to the anatomy of the clitoris! Here's the parts of the internal and external organ.
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The Cholmondeley Ladies (circa 1600-1610) is a painting raising many questions. Today we're not going to talk about the puzzle in pegging down the identities of the women - we will focus on a different, more mundane puzzle. Image courtesy of Tate Britain.
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We are absolutely *obsessed* with @GillianA's Golden Globes dress. Zoom in if you can't immediately see why.
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This is incorrect and misleading. This is not cervical screening, and is not a smear test, and is not a replacement for a smear test. It's self-sampling for HPV from a vaginal swab.
Over 31,000 women will be offered kits to carry out smear tests in the privacy & convenience of their own homes in a trial. Cervical screening is life-saving, so this is a great step forward.
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Sad news. We’ve received notice to vacate our premises at Bethnal Green by the end of this week. As a property guardianship, we’ve always been aware that we may be asked to leave with very short notice. We’re disappointed that it has come so soon.
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The first account of genital reassignment surgery was written in the first century BCE, describing a person who lived in the second century BCE. Here's what we know about Callon of Epidaurus, as recorded by Diodorus Siculus.
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In 2008, a paper was published reporting on a woman who had normal periods, conceived and gave birth normally, went through menopause normally and had normal hormones. Everything about her was as expected. except that most of the cells in her body had XY chromosomes.
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Trans rights do NOT erase the concept of sex. We are a museum literally focused on genitals & we are trans inclusive. What's important is the DISTINCTION between sex & gender. Sex = biology, genitals, chromosomes, hormones, etc. Gender = sociocultural aspects and identity. 1/.
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We remain forever obsessed with this image of a woman terrifying the devil himself with her pussy but did you know there's context? Who wants to hear the context for why the devil is so frightened by a vulva?
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how many times has your vagina frightened off the devil himself? if the devil isn't here with you right now, it's working. congrats. #FannyFriday
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A vulva illustrated by Leonardo da Vinci. You might notice his work isn't quite up to its normal quality as he missed quite a few important bits.
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We don't know who needs to hear it today but. ✨It's perfectly normal for your teeth and mouth to hurt before and during your period✨.It's not a well-known symptom, but a lot of people experience it. Here's why. .
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Mark it in your diaries, friends, Saturday 16th November 2019 was the day the Vagina Museum fully opened its doors to the public. We can't believe this is actually happening!! Come be a part of history. 🙏
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The Vagina Museum is trans inclusive. We do not tolerate harassment and abuse of our staff.
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We've decided to turn off replies on all new tweets for a little while, because we need to be able to post about vaginas and vulvas and periods and women's history without loads of nasty, transphobic replies derailing the conversation.
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A lot of you have turned up here fascinated to learn that the uterine ("Fallopian") tubes are just kind of noodling around in there and can pick up eggs from both ovaries. We're delighted to confirm that this is 100% true and you can watch them in action.
Fallopian fact: although medical illustrations often depict the ovarian tubes as attached to the ovaries, they're not. And if you only have one tube, it can pick up eggs from either ovary, a bit like (but not at all like) one of those grabby claw games.
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WE DID IT. Thank, you, thank you, a thousand times thank you, all 2400 people who chose to help the Vagina Museum to grow and thrive!
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If a medieval French vagina could speak, what would it say? . We actually have the answer to this. Allow us to tell you the tale of The Knight Who Could Make Cunts Speak.
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The man had the expected genotype of a cis man: 46XY. He had a cryptorchidism (an undescended testis) on one side, which affects about 1% of people. Everything external about him was as expected - except that he had a uterus, ovarian tube, and broad ligament.
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On this day in 1969, Apollo 11 splashed down, having safely returned from the moon. Later that year, the first menstrual pad with an adhesive hit the market, so you didn't have to use a belt. Men walked on the moon before you could buy a pad which stuck to your underwear.
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On this day in 1452, Leonardo da Vinci was born. Despite being a polymath, the man couldn't draw a vulva to save his life.
A vulva illustrated by Leonardo da Vinci. You might notice his work isn't quite up to its normal quality as he missed quite a few important bits.
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if you can make a woman come more than once a month, you can come more than once a month.
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In all of these cases - and many other case studies of cis men who have discovered they have uteruses, the anatomy was found by accident, because everything else seemed "normal enough".
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What follows is a thread of OBSCENE and SHOCKING images. Faint-hearted followers may choose to look away.
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The 70 year old father of four isn't the only man who has discovered a uterus late in life! Last year, a 67 year old father of three from Kosovo went into hospital with a hernia and discovered the swelling was in fact a uterus, ovarian tube and an ovary.
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Did you know the clitoris and the penis have very similar anatomy? And also, that if you illustrate them like this, they look like two little dinosaurs going for a nice walk together?
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On 29th January 1996, "Threshold", the Star Trek: Voyager episode where Captain Janeway and Tom Paris turned into giant space newts and had babies first aired. In advance of #ThresholdDay we aim to answer a burning question: did Paris and Janeway fuck? If so, how did they fuck?
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We’d prefer not to air our linens in public (unless we’re showing you how vaginal acidity is normal). But we need to say something, and we need to ask your help. The pandemic has been rough for the entire museum sector. Now the Vagina Museum is at risk of becoming homeless.
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Barbie is a polymath, but in the circles we move in, she is perhaps better known for her hairless, featureless vulva than her myriad achievements. Here's a very brief history of "Barbie Crotch" - labia-less, hairless, featureless vulvas in art.
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The man had Persistent Müllerian Duct Syndrome (PMDS). This is a natural variation. Usually, if an embryo is developing as male, a hormone called anti Müllerian hormone is released.
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It's not a sign of dirtiness or bad hygiene to have paler patches in your pants, it's something which happens when the acidity of a perfectly healthy vagina spends time in contact with fabric, and it's particularly noticeable on darker fabrics.
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In 2011, a 35 year old father of two from India went to hospital with severe stomach pain. Imaging revealed that he had a uterus, two ovarian tubes, two ovaries and the upper part of a vagina.
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However, many other artists favoured a more literal interpretation, and went for a hairy Mary aesthetic. 1. At St John's Church, Toruń, Poland, circa 1415. 2. From the Nuremberg Chronicle, Hartmann Schedel, 1493
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The story probably mutated to being about Mary Magdalene rather than Mary of Egypt because she was a popular figure for sermons and religious texts to use as an example of penitence. Hairy, hairy penitence.
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Falloppio found himself caught up in a row with fellow anatomist Realdo Colombo about who had discovered the clitoris (in fact, neither of them had), which raged for years after both men had died.
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In 2021, a father of one from the USA went to hospital with abdominal pain. The source of the pain was a tumour on his testis - but he also had a uterus, ovarian tubes, cervix and upper vagina.
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The Damned Woman (1859) by Nicolas François Octave Tassaert, Private Collection #JustGalsBeingPals
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It's #InternationalMensDay, so we're going to introduce you to some trans men from history today.
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Some artists, such as Titian here, interpreted "her hair grew over her body" in a pretty normal way - the hair on Mary Magdalene's head grew long and covered up her nakedness. Penitent Magdalene by Titian, circa 1533, courtesy of Uffizi Gallery.
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PMDS is considered quite rare, although in order to diagnose it, doctors need to use medical imaging, which isn't usually done to people without symptoms, and can be entirely unaffordable to do at all in global majority countries.
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These knickers appear in our #Muffbusters exhibition, and we get a lot of feedback from people who didn't know that it happens, or why it happens or fel relieved to learn it wasn't just them. So let us tell you this: it's normal.
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The hormone prevents development of Müllerian ducts, the tubes which eventually develop into the gynaecological internal anatomy. In PMDS, not enough of this hormone is released.
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The first research study testing the absorbent qualities of menstrual products with actual blood was published. last week. Literally, last week. Previous testing tended to use liquids such as saline or water. Let's take a look and see what they found. .
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Mmmhmm. Yep. "Friends". 🙄. "Les Deux Amies" (the two friends) by Jean-Jacques Lagrenée (1739-1821).
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BIG CROWDFUNDING UPDATE! We have found our perfect space! It's a gorgeous pair of twin railway arches in East London. We have BIG plans for this space and we'll have the room to realise these plans. But there's a catch.
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He believed the anal sphincter consisted of five muscles, and he was wrong about buttholes too. Altogether, this page is a massive L for da Vinci.
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You can read the case study of the 70 year old father of four here. Warning: it includes photos of his uterus.
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It's likely that the Mary Magdalene hair story isn't even *about* Mary Magdalene. A very similar story about the 5th century St Mary of Egypt (known as Desert Mother) features a penitent called Mary whose clothes disintegrated in the desert.
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The Two Friends (🤔) by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1895. Courtesy of Foundation E.G. Bührle Collection.
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Did you know the clitoris and penis are anatomically very similar organs, with very similar structures? . Illustration by Hilde Atalanta
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So, it's not just you. Lighter patches in your knickers are normal, and there's nothing to be ashamed of!.
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Illustration from "Diabolical Mania" by Achille Devéria, 1835.
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HAPPY EASTER! It's the perfect day for us to tell you all about JESUS'S VAGINA. or more specifically, medieval interpretations of Christ's side wound as, well. look at it.
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Happy #StarWarsDay. Please take a moment to appreciate Count Dooku's balcony in Attack of the Clones (2002).
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So devout was she that she ceased to care about worldly things such as clothes, so her clothes fell apart and she was naked. To protect her modesty, according to the story, her hair grew over her body.
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We are thrilled to announce that WE ARE REOPENING. Our new home in Bethnal Green opens 19th March. we'll see you there soon!
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Good morning, who would like to hear about hyena clitorises? Well, great news for those of you who do (and terrible news for those who don't) because you're going to hear about hyena clitorises now.
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Menopause is incredibly rare in nature. Aside from humans, only four species of wild animal are known to go through a form of menopause: orcas, narwhals, beluga whales and pilot whales. These animals might shed light on why menopause exists at all.
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we're sorry we can't release any stats on our gender pay gap, we can't calculate this because we don't employ any men.
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Dr James Barry (circa 1789-1865) was a renowned military surgeon who is probably better known for the speculation about his gender than his illustrious career. So let's set the record straight about the work of this brilliant healer.
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Here's a hairy St Mary of Egypt; the figure on the left is St Zosimas of Palestine, who is handing her a cloak to cover herself up. Detail of a French miniature, circa 15th century, courtesy of British Library.
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Since you're all about sea shanties these days, WHO WANTS TO HEAR ABOUT GAY MARRIAGE IN THE GOLDEN AGE OF PIRACY?
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Douglas was a well-known "man-midwife" who once disproved a hoax that a woman was giving birth to rabbits. Also named after him are: douglasitis, a Douglas abscess, the Douglas fold, the Douglas line, the Douglas septum, and @Hannahgadsby's dog.
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GABRIELE FALLOPPIO (circa 1522-1562)🇮🇹 is the namesake of the Fallopian tubes, the tubes between the ovaries and the uterus. You can also call them the ovarian tubes or uterine tubes.
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Have you ever wondered what's going on in there during penis-in-vagina sex? Where do the pelvic organs go? What stretches where? . Scientists have. At length. And here's what they thought and how they finally found out.
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We have no intention of changing our stance on trans inclusion. We've been trans inclusive from the start, and we've butted heads before with those who ideologically oppose us saying "women" where we mean "women" and "people" where we mean "people".
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We've also been asked a few times how we "made" the bleached knickers for our exhibition - we didn't. They're real pairs of pants from real people.
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Okay muff-lovers, you'll probably know the answer to this one. How many holes are there in the vulva? . The answer may surprise you. Yes, even you.
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Today's tea:. ) ) ). ) ( ) ) ) ._(___(____)____(___(_____.\ dicks can't stretch /. \ vaginas and they / |. \ never will / __|. \______________/.
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Katsushika Hokusai's 1831 ukiyo-e (woodblock) print "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" is one of the most reproduced images in the world. But did you know that the artist was also prolific in creating erotic art? Here's a thread of some of Hokusai's vulvas.
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we don't know who needs to hear it today but .✨it's perfectly normal for your butt to hurt during your period✨. Sometimes menstruating can be a literal pain in the arse. Here's why.
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The researchers noted that they have no idea if this woman was a one-off, or if there's more people like her, because there is no reason to karyotype someone who developed as expected, and experienced no problems with fertility.
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IMPORTANT LOST PROPERTY QUESTION! Did anyone visiting the Vagina Museum yesterday lose a little dalek?
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Da Vinci's illustration is missing labia minora and the clitoris. The owner of the vulva is described as a multiparous woman, and it's possible that the image shows some evidence of prolapse.
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We wish all female giant pandas who are having their once-a-year window of 1-3 days where they're interested in sex today good luck and happy hunting.
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