The world's first vagina museum will open in the UK with a myth-busting exhibition.
The first museum of its kind will open in Camden Market, London, on November 16 following a successful £50,000 crowdfunding campaign.
Its founders say the goal is to create an educational shrine to vaginas, vulvas and the broader gynaecological anatomy.
Disco parties, comedy nights, school tours and art exhibitions may be unusual ways to help break the stigma associated with female genitals.
But the founders hope that offering a fascinating museum featuring everything science and history to vulva cupcakes and 'vagacchino' coffees will make visitors feel more comfortable with the important topic.
Founder Florence Schecter decided to set up a museum dedicated to vaginas after learning in 2017 about the existence of one dedicated to penises in Iceland.
After discovering Iceland's Phallological Museum, which displays hundreds of penises from animals, Ms Schechter felt it was only fair if there was a physical building that spotlighted female genitals as well.
Through workshops, talks and social events, she said she wanted to create a space that would bring people together – young and old – to address sensitive issues like female genital mutilation, rape, domestic abuse, and sexual health.
"It's really important because it's a hugely stigmatised part of the body and that leads to some real world consequences," she said.
"Just anything and everything that's taboo with that part of the body is what we're going to be addressing."
She said some girls and women feel awkward about getting gynaecological check-ups, such as screenings for cervical cancer, or discussing their periods.
About one in four women in Britain do not attend a cervical screening, according a January survey by charity Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust, with nearly three-quarters of women saying they missed the test due to embarrassment.
Menstruation is still taboo in many countries. In Nepal, women are banished from their homes during their periods – a centuries-old practice that is now illegal – and several have died of smoke inhalation after lighting fires to keep warm.
Ms Schecter said the museum will also run child-friendly programmes and will offer an outreach programme to ensure children feel comfortable talking about female genitals from an early age.
"When they're ashamed of their bodies, it becomes really difficult for them to talk about things," she said. "It's about de-stigmatising this part of the body and being honest about what it does."
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