Did you ever
have any doubts
about being
out at work?
Generally not.
I’m sometimes
too confident, to
my detriment. Director of the world’sfirst vagina museum?
What’s it like to be...
How do you
measure success?
To be honest, in bad
ways, like how many
things I’ve ticked off
of my to-do list or
how much is in the
bank. I would like to
be able to retrain my
mind to measure it in
happiness and impact.SCIENCE COMMUNICATOR AND
COMEDIAN FLORENCE SCHECHTER
REVEALS WHAT IT’S LIKE BEING UP TO
HER EYEBALLS IN VAGINA ALL DAYFlorence Schechter (@floschechter) has many job titles.
Science communicator, comedian, presenter, video
producer... And when she’s not doing all of that? She’s
building a vagina museum. The first one in the world.
In the planning stages since 2017, when Florence
realised there was a serious lack of vagina-shaped
research out there, The Vagina Museum will take a look
at the science and history behind vaginas and their
place in culture – in an inclusive and intersectional way.
For more info visit vaginamuseum.co.ukkk. Want to help? Make a
donation to get The Vagina Museum one step closer to finding
its home at paypal.com/gb/fundraiser/charity/338916 1Who inspires
you professionally?
Greta Thunberg. I love how
she unashamedly speaks
truth to power.Has your sexuality, gender identity
or race ever been an issue?
Sexuality – somewhat. A lot people don’t
realise I’m bisexual, because I’m dating
a man. Why is it surprising the person
building a Vagina Museum likes vaginas?
Gender identity – no, and I am very aware
of my privilege in regards to this. Race –
yes. I am white, which affords me a lot of
privilege in life. But I am also an Ashkenazi
Jew, which is a type of white minority. I
get a lot of very vile antisemitism online.
But, on the other hand, my community is
mostly supportive of The Vagina Museum,
which is surprising, considering it is quite
conservative. Although, for some people it
took a while to warm up to the idea.What has been the biggest
challenge, and how did
you overcome it?
The trolls. The best way to beat
them is to join them. Usually our
kind of trolls just use The Vagina
Museum as a jumping-off point
for a bad joke. When you get in
on the joke with them, they often
gain respect for you. For example,
this tweet: “Please stop comparing
us to Parliament, vaginas are
actually useful”.What advice would you
give someone pursuing
a similar venture?
Don’t listen to the haters
and the naysayers.
Obviously be realistic about
your project and your
skills, but often people will
tell you that you can’t do
something because they
can’t do it. But then, isn’t it
a good thing you’re doing it
and not them?What’s the funniest/most ridiculous
thing that’s happened so far?
Probably the unsolicited vagina pics we get- sometimes in the post or by email. People
will just send us their art, which is fantastic,
but super random.
What one
superpower
would make your
job easier?
Cloning.What’s the best
career advice you’ve
been given?
Slow down.Where do you see
yourself in five years?
Hopefully building the
permanent Vagina Museum.What was the driving factor
in deciding to “go for it” in
terms of your career?
The thought of having an office job
made me want to die. And then in my
20s, I had no choice but to take one- and it turned out I was right.
How would you describe an
average day in five words?
People not understanding my job.What did you want to be
when you were growing up?
A ballerina-vet.78 SEPTEMBER 2019
WORDS^ SOPHIEGRIFFITHS| WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE...