Tennessee organizations say unique client-beauty provider relationship can spot signs of domestic violence

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Jessica Barnes always knew her calling was to be a hairstylist.

”I’ve always wanted to do hair ever since I was a child. my parents can tell you I had a vanity and I just used to do my hair.”

But she didn’t know everything that would come with it, “People always unfold and tell me things when they are here.”

Sometimes those things aren’t always good.

“The stylist-client relationship is really just like a friendship. once you actually grow to having a rapport with somebody then naturally things start to unfold and they just feel comfortable telling you personal details about their life,” Barnes said.

It’s a bond Shear-Haven co-founder Susanne Post knows about.

”Shear Haven was born out of my personal experience as a survivor of domestic violence that was also met with my professional experience knowing that beauty professionals have such an incredible relationship with their clients,” Post explains.

Shear Haven is an initiative through the YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee that teaches beauty providers how to spot the signs of domestic violence and how to respond to it. They pushed for a Tennessee state law. It passed and went into effect in 2022. The law requires all licensed beauty providers in Tennessee to be trained on the signs of domestic violence and how to respond.

Barnes got her cosmetology license last year and was in one of the first groups to get the training, ”It’s not always about domestic violence just sensitive topics overall and how you should conduct yourself when you are hearing things especially when something is concerning.”

Now, Post, the YWCA USA and YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee are headed to DC in a few weeks to meet with lawmakers about federal legislation.

In December, US Senators Marsha Blackburn and Tammy Duckworth of Illinois co-sponsored the SALON Stories Act and introduced it to the US Senate.

In a statement, Sen. Blackburn said, ”This is a common-sense bipartisan bill to help equip cosmetologists with resources necessary to identify and support victims of domestic violence.”

“The hope is that it will incentivize states to pass laws like we have in Tennessee, in Illinois and Arkansas that require training for beauty professionals,” says Post.

According to the YWCA one in four women are impacted by domestic violence but Barnes says she’s happy she can potentially make a difference, ”To know that that’s the statistic means that a large portion probably have dealt with it and i don’t know and that’s very disheartening but also at the same time that’s why I’m glad I’m here.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with domestic violence, the YWCA’s crisis line is 800-334-4628 and the text line is 615-983-5170.

“One in four women will be a victim of domestic violence in her lifetime, and in the United States, three women are killed each day by an intimate partner,” said Senator Blackburn. “There is no better community to recognize this abuse and help victims than beauty professionals. Some women, even at their most vulnerable and isolated, will continue going to the salon and building relationships with their cosmetologists. This is a common-sense bipartisan bill to help equip cosmetologists with resources necessary to identify and support victims of domestic violence.”

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