Happy #BiVisibilityDay! We have a lot of bi+ members of the Vagina Museum team, so we're going to introduce you to some of our lovely bi, pan and queer eager beavers!
"I'm Rhi, I'm queer/pansexual. I volunteer at the Vagina Museum and I work in disability access in the music and live events industry. In my spare time I paint and hang out with my cat."
This is volunteer Ki (per/per/person): "Queer, polyamorous, bisexual activist. Microscopist in biomedical research to pay the bills. Avid crafter - I sew, crochet, and am currently learning embroidery! Love cats!"
Here's Emma @emmarcviolet (she/her). "When not volunteering at the vagina museum I do photography/listing for another charity. In my spare time I create photography about chronic illness and feminist issues."
This is our duty manger and purchasing agent Angela (she/they), also known as Lucie Liquor. Outside of the VM she’s a burlesque artist, pole dancer and cat fanatic.
This is volunteer Amy (she/her) "Outside the Vagina Museum I’m a mum of two boys, autism advocate, dressmaker & proud ginger northerner."
This is duty manager Alex (she/her): "I am a neurodivergent performance artist and associate lecturer. I’m currently doing my PhD at East 15, Acting school in theatre and performance and my research looks at gender, sexuality and the representation of vulvas in contemporary...
"...performance. So when I’m not in the vagina museum, I’m still writing about them and I fucking love it!"
This is Dara @dididrama (she/her) "I’m a vagina museum volunteer. I love social history, especially the history of sex and sexuality and history of women. I’m married to a man and we have two cats."
And last but not least, our founder and director @floschechter: "I'm bi and here's a photo of me at the museum in a top by @JayHulmePoet. I like starting museums, TTRPG, cats (even though I'm allergic which is an ironic tragedy), listening to the same song on repeat and carbs."
We promise you don't have to be bi+ and like cats to work here, but it helps...
All right, one more, since she really wanted to be included. Here's duty manager Madeleine (she/her). When she’s not at the vagina museum she’s working in theatre or exploring ruined castles.
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What did a period look like in the 17th century? There isn't much information about this, as many of the scientists and anatomists at the time were getting their data from corpses... but that doesn't mean we know nothing at all about it, because someone was paying attention.
Jane Sharp, a long-time favourite of the Vagina Museum, wrote all about normal periods in her 1671 handbook "The Midwives Book". That's the same book where she described the clitoris accurately.
Sharp described a period as "monthly Terms", and reiterated that a period happens once per month. The average menstrual cycle in the 21st century is 29 days, so cycles would have been roughly the same length.
Can you spot anything unusual about this 1908 diagram of the human clitoris from a German medical textbook? There's something a little bit remarkable about it...
The textbook in question was "Development and anatomy of the female genital apparatus: twenty lectures" by Heinrich Bayer, but that's not the unusual bit.
The curious thing about this particular diagram of the clitoris is it was made in 1908, but looks remarkably similar to diagrams we'd see today! It includes all of the main structures: the glans, body, crura and bulbs, as well as where the urethral and vaginal openings are!
We've taken the decision to open as normal this week and for this week's events to go ahead as planned. It would be unfair on our staff and event organisers, who have worked hard on behalf of the Vagina Museum, to cancel income from their events and shifts this week.
If you'd previously booked onto one of these events and chosen not to come due to the period of mourning, please contact our team by email and they will assist you with organising a refund.
"Thou Shalt Not": a 1940 photograph staged by photographer Whitey Schaefer in protest at the Hays Code, a set of US movie industry self-censorship guidelines to "uphold moral standards".
The Hays Code was created in 1930, and began to be rigidly enforced in 1934. It was created with input from Catholic figures, and consisted of a set of things which should not be featured in films, or circumstances under which they could be depicted.
This picture is frequently shared with a caption to the effect that it is breaking *all* of the rules, but we regret to inform you that this hot lady with a gun is only breaking *some of the rules*.
HIGHER OR LOWER! Which is more acidic? A human vagina or a glass of chardonnay? Answer tomorrow.
THE ANSWER: On average, chardonnay is a little less acidic than many other white wines, with a pH of around 3.4-3.6, a human vagina is less acidic than that, and has a pH of about 3.8-4.5.
The reason your vag bleaches your knickers while chardonnay doesn't is that the wine doesn't tend to sit in your pants all day long, while your vagina does! The wine, even if you spilled it on your undies, would evaporate, while your vaginal fluids stay in contact with them.
The Vagina Museum is free to visit! This is a crucial part of our mission. Vagina knowledge should be accessible to all. Museums should be accessible to all. We know we could make a lot more money if we charged admission, but that's just not who we are.
The Vagina Museum is open to all, with no admission fees for our exhibitions. Whether you want to learn all about vaginas and vulvas, or just want to pop in somewhere warm to shelter from the rain, we won't charge you to come in!
Lots of people really do just come in because they've got a half hour to spare waiting for a train, or the weather is miserable, and you're all valid!!!!!! Enjoy the exhibitions while you're in here!!!!!!