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Vagina Museum

19 Jan, 9 tweets, 2 min read

On this day in 2008, one of our favourite movies, TEETH, was released. This horror movie centres around a young woman who has "vagina dentata" - teeth in her vagina. Vagina dentata myths is common, appearing in South America, India, Japan and Māori mythologies. Here's one myth...

So, you all know and love the movie Moana, right? And you all know and love the demigod Māui? Well, Disney and Lin Manuel Miranda skipped a particular Māui story in the "You're Welcome" song. It involves vagina dentata.

According to Māori legend, Māui tried to secure immortality for humans (you're welcome!) by "reversing" birth via the goddess of death, Hine-nui-te-pō.

Hine-nui-te-pō is described as having "in the place where men enter her she has sharp teeth of obsidian and greenstone." This did not put Māui off (you're welcome!)

His plan was to enter the sleeping goddess via her vagina and exit through her mouth. He found her sleeping with her legs open and, seizing the opportunity, turned himself into a worm (you're welcome!)

Into the toothed vagina of goddess of death and guardian of the underworld Māui crawled in worm form (you're welcome!), he was going to do this thing! He was going to secure immortality for humankind!

...except he got baited out by his bird friends. In various versions of the legend, his birds either laughed loudly at the inherent ridiculousness of a demigod crawling into a betoothed vag, or one of them tipped off Hine-nui-te-pō and woke her up.

Either way, Hine-nui-te-pō was not happy with Māui crawling around in her vagina, and so she crushed him to death with her obsidian vagina dentata. Māui became the first man to die, and all humans are fated to meet Hine-nui-te-pō in the underworld. You're welcome!

Anyway, we have no idea why Disney didn't put this element of the Māui story into the movie.

And so, for our fix of vagina dentata myths in movie, we have to crack out the popcorn and watch Teeth (2008) instead.

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15 Jan

Since you're all about sea shanties these days, WHO WANTS TO HEAR ABOUT GAY MARRIAGE IN THE GOLDEN AGE OF PIRACY?

Now, a lot of what we're about to tell you is the subject of debate, because history, when written down, tends to elide homosexuality. Therefore, there's nothing in history which outright says "these pirates were hella gay and marrying each other all across the high seas".

So, among pirate communities during the golden age of piracy, there was an arrangement called "matelotage". Crew members could form a bond together where one would inherit the other's wealth - rather like a marriage.

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1 Dec 20

Good morning, eager beavers! It's #GivingTuesday and you know what that means? Every donation of £5 or more or new membership today, we will tweet a slang term for ORAL SEX OR MASTURBATION INVOLVING VAGINAS AND VULVAS in SHOUTY ALLCAPS. vaginamuseum.co.uk/support/donate

A few points of housekeeping.
1. We will not, repeat not, be calling this scheme Help Out For Eat Out.
2. Some of these terms may be crass, and fundamentally misunderstand the form and function of vaginas and vulvas.
3. We'll be online until 6pm with this SHOUTY SLANGATHON

And finally, every gift you make truly makes a world of difference to a new museum in a strange, uncertain world. <3

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30 Nov 20

Happy Beaver Moon, everybody!

"Beaver" as slang for genitalia first appeared in print in 1927. Its origins are not, as reddit posits, because "beavers chew wood".

"beaver" also isn't a reference to the vagina dentata myth, even though yes, beavers have big ol' teeth

Read 9 tweets

Vagina Museum

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27 Nov 20

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.

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Vagina Museum

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7 Jun 20

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/

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

2/

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

3/

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6 Mar 20

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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