World Changing Response #1

Lily Porter

ADP 3

9/17/09

Section 5

 

            While browsing through World Changing: A User’s Guide For the 21^st Century, the caption “Beauty Salons as Tools for Change” caught my eye.  The section explains that beauty salons are one of the few places women are by themselves, away from their husbands, boyfriends, and families.  It is a safe haven for them.  It is also usually overflowing with gossip and secrets.  “Because of this, a number of social-service outreach programs have recognized a significant opportunity to target beauty salons for both health education and domestic-violence prevention” (Steffen 321).  Since it is a relaxed environment, where most women go, they may reveal to their hairstylist something they are scared to get professional help for, such as domestic violence.  Hairstylists can provide pamphlets on how to get help, and gently encourage and inform them on the right things to do.  Salons in some cities, such as San Francisco “were offered a training course to teach them how to recognize signs of abuse and how to broach the topic with a client in a comfortable and appropriate way, to ultimately help clients escape unsafe conditions” (Steffen 322).  Because social-service outreach programs were able to think creatively outside of the box, they have provided assistance in unexpected places, where no doubt their efforts have helped many women escape harmful situations. 

 

 

Steffen, Alex. World Changing: A User's Guide For the 21^st

 Century. New York, NY: Abrams, 2008. Print.