There is growing evidence of corporate demand for employees who have aesthetic qualities that can be deployed in marketing and branding strategies. This article critically examines these efforts to prefer those who ‘look good’ or possess the ‘right look’. It is argued that these strategies, designed to profit from the aesthetic qualities of employees, are exclusory and may cause harm in the same way as other discriminatory practices. Yet Australian jurisdictions, with the exception of the state of Victoria, have not addressed this challenge. An analysis of the facts and reasoning in the matter of Hopper & Ors v. Virgin Blue Airlines Pty Ltd [2004, 2005 & 2006] reveals a need for discrimination law to provide adequate remedies for those discriminated against for not possessing the ‘right look’.
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