Florence Schechter is a science YouTuber and performer with a background in biochemistry, improv, comedy, music, theatre and spoken word. Now, she’s also in the process of founding the first museum exclusively dedicated to vaginas.
Schechter is a co-founder of Collab Lab, a science film company mainly focused on science-themed improv, and after making a video entitled “Top 10 Weird Animal Penises,” she began researching for information to use for making a video about animal vaginas. Her friend had recently visited the Icelandic Phallological Museum, which had provided a lot of information about penises—and when she wasn’t able to locate a museum dedicated to vaginas, she decided to make one herself. That’s how the Vagina Museum was born.
Ms. spoke with Schechter about her hopes for the project.
What made you decide to commit to the idea of building a Vagina Museum and move forward in building it?
When I realized there was no vagina museum, I knew it would never exist unless I made it. I wasn’t going to wait around for someone else to have the idea independently. So here I am!
Where are you in the process of designing the museum? Where will the museum be built and will it be open to all of the public?
We’re in the very early states. It takes a very long time to make a museum, and we are starting by putting on some pop up exhibitions while we raise funds and look for a location. We hope it will be in London, UK. It will be open to everyone.
How will you incorporate feminist sensibilities into the design and exhibits of the museum?
Not only will we have an exhibit about the history of feminism, but we will incorporate it into every aspect of the museum. From the big picture such as paying attention to how we interpret the objects and history but also little things, like having unisex toilets.
Who do you hope will visit the Vagina Museum?
Our target audience will vary depending on the exhibit, but we hope that in general it will be open for everyone. It has been shown that young vagina-owners in Britain know much less about anatomy and health than older women, for example, so this section will be targeted at them.
What impact do you hope the Vagina Museum will make?
I hope that it will do three things: Educate, Empower, Entertain. Firstly, I hope that people will come to learn more about their bodies and how to look after them. Secondly, I want people to come out feeling more confident and proud. Thirdly, I hope it’s fun!
