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Vagina Museum

27 Nov, 9 tweets, 2 min read

Infuriated to see these invasive, abusive and utterly unscientific "virginity tests" being sold by clinics in the UK. bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-…

Myths about hymens and virginity are just that. Myths. There may be a lot of honest buy-in to these myths because they are so prevalent, but it's important to note these myths are used to control and shame, in particular, women and girls.

There is no way of physically telling if someone has had PiV sex or not. Hymens can tear or stretch for multiple reasons, and in some people, may be completely absent, small, or more or less rigid - just like the rest of the vulva, there's a lot of variation.

THE HYMEN IS NOT, WE REPEAT NOT, LIKE THE FOIL SEAL ON COFFEE JARS

Also this? Big yikes. Mega yikes. Where do we even begin with how yikes it is? The hymen isn't tightness! The tightening gels are really bad for your vagina, they're usually an irritant and/or drying agent! Tightness is in no way linked to having or not having had PiV sex anyway!

we don't want to ask what the tweezers are for 😬

And regarding blood: another thing which has been linked to virginity, and another thing which is in no way linked to virginity.

Virginity is a social construct, OK? And it's a social construct which carries with it a lot of unscientific and plainly misogynistic baggage.

None of this is to say that your first time trying certain types of sex can't be meaningful to you on a personal level, we just need you to know it doesn't cause some irreversible physical change and that these myths about virginity and hymens mustn't be used to control and shame

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7 Jun

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

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You can receive discrimination based on sex and you can receive discrimination based on gender.

Sex discrimination: e.g. reproductive coercion. This can happen to anyone who has a uterus, no matter their gender expression or identity

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Gender discrimination: e.g. catcalling. No one checks the contents of your underwear before catcalling, usually it is feminine presenting people who are targeted

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Hand washing has been a hot topic recently due to coronavirus so we thought we'd share the story of the obstetrician who pioneered hand washing...

And how it eventually lead to his descent into madness....

Ignatz Semmelweis was a Hungarian doctor appointed to Vienna General Hospital in 1846. He worked in an obstetric clinic specifically built to be free of charge so that in exchange the women agreed to have students learn from them.

There were two clinics - one for training doctors and one for training midwives. The clinics admitted patients on alternate days.

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Vagina Museum

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WINTER APPEAL SHOUTY SLANG SPECIAL! You voted, and we're doing this. For every donation over £5 to the Vagina Museum winter appeal, we'll tweet a slang word for masturbation involving vaginas and vulvas in SHOUTY ALLCAPS virginmoneygiving.com/fund/VMwintera…

before we start, a few things to note. first of all, museums are EXPENSIVE! the money we're raising supports the museum, helps us keep admission free, and develop new exhibitions and events, so please please give... it really helps

also, some of these slang terms may be weird, a bit gross or fundamentally misunderstand the form and function of the vulva. that's because we don't talk about vulvas and vaginas enough!

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Oh hi! It's your friendly Vagina Museum curator here @ItsSarahCreed with another Thursday fact fun thread *cue cheesy elevator music*.... with it being CLITMAS and all, we thought it might be a good time to bust some clitoris myths in time for the festive holiday!

@ItsSarahCreed

@ItsSarahCreed One of the most common myths about the gynaecological anatomy is that the clitoris is tiny and therefore impossible to find

@ItsSarahCreed

@ItsSarahCreed But actually, the part of the clitoris you see within the vulva (the glans clitoris) is just the tip of the iceberg and the whole clitoris is on average approximately 8cm in length

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Vagina Museum

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3 Dec 19

It's #GivingTuesday so we're launching our Winter Appeal! We want to raise £50,000 to match our crowdfunder to maintain the museum and develop future exhibitions. To get started, every donation over £5 before 6pm, we'll tweet a slang term in SHOUTY CAPS virginmoneygiving.com/fund/VMwintera…

Before we start, an obligatory disclaimer that the Vagina Museum does not endorse any of these slang terms, and many seem to fundamentally misunderstand the form and/or function of vaginas, vulvas, clitorises or labia.