COLUMBIA, S.C., July 30, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- In America, beauty salons are often viewed as havens, where people can figuratively -- and literally -- "let their hair down." Hairdressers and cosmetologists frequently play the part of counselor or friend and are privy to highly sensitive information -- from gossip to explicit accounts of sexual escapades or indiscretions. After 24 years in the business, DiAna DiAna decided to take on another role: AIDS awareness educator. In Curlers and Condoms (now available through 1stBooks), DiAna offers disease information and recounts how she began an outreach program in her salon, DiAna's Hair Ego, eventually touching more than 35,000 people worldwide.
When DiAna moved from her home in Massachusetts to the "Bible Belt" of South Carolina, she found it difficult, but eventually adjusted. After several years of running her shop, she realized her new community was in AIDS denial. Someone had to do something. Educating them would be a challenge, but it was one she was up for.
During her many hours of snipping, curling and combing, DiAna learned who was sleeping with whom, who was unfaithful and the personalities of her clients. Working professionals thought they were above the risk of disease; many mothers believed their children didn't have sex or do drugs; women had no idea that some of the men they were sleeping with lead double lives, sleeping with other men; and men often thought they knew all about the women in their lives.
Worst of all, DiAna writes, almost no one was using condoms.
She took action, founding the South Carolina AIDS Education Network Inc. DiAna also developed countless "grassroots programs," including "AIDS Busters" to target youth; "Faces of Sisterhood" for women; "Safer Sex Skills Building program" for college-age and adult individuals; and a program with local police called "The Van," through which she distributed condoms and disease prevention information.
In collaboration with her many organizations, DiAna produced and directed various videos and plays and wrote articles to expose the general population to AIDS. Most notably, her video DiAna's Hair Ego-AIDS Info Upfront has won several major film awards throughout the country, including the 1989 American Film Festival Award in Hollywood.
Poignant, educational and engaging, Curlers and Condoms is a remarkable true story of how one woman went above and beyond the call of duty: beautifying, listening, acting and, perhaps, even, saving lives.
DiAna is a licensed cosmetologist in three states and has a teaching background in special education. She enjoys traveling and is a master scuba diver. A resident of Columbia, S.C., she opened her beauty salon there in 1977 and thanks her community for their support in her efforts to spread awareness of AIDS. Curlers and Condoms is her first book.
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