This article presents a vivid account of one woman’s experience of taking on a second job – the role of a slimming club consultant – when her husband is made unemployed. Her story highlights how aesthetic labour, particularly when a worker’s appearance becomes more prominent over time, can lead to dangerous behaviours, namely the use of weight-loss pills and illegal drugs. These behaviours resulted in sleeplessness, frequent headaches and a feeling of disgust. Furthermore, this troubling account raises an important and uncomfortable question: can discrimination in the workplace sometimes be ‘for the best’?
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