I find that certain abuse is such commonplace that women don’t speak up about it. When we discuss these things openly, women can start to recognize what is and isn’t abuse. I was abused in a more subtle way, and I blamed myself, i thought because I did one thing or another, that I brought it upon myself. It wasn’t until a friend was telling me a similar story about what happened to her, that I heard my story in her story, did I realize that it was wrong... I am a hairstylist and we have classes that we can take to recognize abuse. Since we are someone a lot of women trust with their secrets, we aren’t biased and we are separate from their normal life they have a sense of trust. I hear all kinds of stories and see things that can indicate abuse. I hope that I can help if I see any indication of abuse someday