Appearance and appearance have always dominated Hollywood culture and the actors and actresses who play roles in films; also the popularity contest among high school teenagers. Bulimia and anorexia afflict women and men throughout the United States. Today's society is dominated by the obsession with appearances. But how far did this fixation go? Has this Hollywood mentality taken over the otherwise standard way of running a business and the process of hiring its employees in a way not determined by weight? For a country poised to become one of the largest countries in the world and a country based on equal opportunities for all, the collision of these two topics is inevitable. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate is 9.8% as of November 2010. This high unemployment rate creates a high demand for jobs. This high demand allows employers to become selective in who they hire. Michigan is the only state to have enacted a law prohibiting employment discrimination based on weight. The question is whether other states will follow suit. Cities like San Francisco have also passed weight discrimination laws prohibiting injustice toward overweight people. But no national involvement has yet taken place. Today's researchers are taking sides to change "unfair" treatment and expose weight discrimination as a problem that concerns society today. Rebecca Puhl, PhD, is director of weight stigma research and initiatives at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University. . His article "Public Opinion on Laws Prohibiting Weight Discrimination in the United States" discusses discrimination against overweight people by comparing it to rates of racial discrimination. Puhl begins the article...... middle of paper ......tion justifies the need for legal action to protect overweight people. History has demonstrated the power of legislation to reduce institutionalized bias against stigmatized groups. Just like a book cannot be judged by its cover, people cannot be judged by their physical appearance. Works Cited “Michigan law opened the door to lawsuits against Hooters.” The Grand Rapids Press July 6, 2010. Web. December 9, 2010. O'Brien, Michael. “Ugly people don’t need to apply?.” here online. Np, August 5, 2010. Web. December 9, 2010. Pomeranz, Jennifer L. "A Historical Analysis of Public Health, Law, and Stigmatized Social Groups: The Need for Legislation on Obesity and Weight Bias." » Obesity: a research review. Np, February 5, 2008. Web. December 9, 2010. Puhl, Rebecca M. “Public Opinion on Laws Prohibiting Weight Discrimination in the United States.” . Np, May 27, 2010. ERIC. Internet. December 9. 2010.