It's not your skin color, sexual orientation, or your age.

But it is the one form of discrimination that's not only legal but it's often encouraged.

We're talking about the unattractive. It may not be right, but the ugly truth is it's not illegal, NBC 10's Dawn Timmeney reported.

In the movie "Shallow Hal," actor Jack Black is hypnotized to see an obese woman for her inner beauty. But all too often in life, love and work, the unattractive are judged by merely what's on the outside.

"If someone is really sloppy, obviously isn't interested in looking after themselves, does that imply something else? An employer would be thinking along those lines," said Dr. Frank Farley, who teaches psychological studies at Temple University.

Farley said unattractive people are often discriminated against in the workplace.

"Employers will say, 'We have a certain standard of appearance that is essential for our business,'" Farley said.

And Philadelphia attorney Edith Pearce said there's no legal recourse.

"There's really nothing somebody can do, if it's merely based on looks," Pearce said.

Pearce believes however that there are things people can do to make themselves more attractive.

"Maybe they just need to spiff up a little bit, look a little spiffier at work, or maybe just a little bit neater, or pull their hair back, or make sure they are a little more clean shaven," Pearce said.

But Farley warned discrimination starts early and said who knows how it all plays out when it comes to children.

"This type of discrimination can be very subtle. You don't even know it is happening, but somebody, a teacher, is favoring a more attractive child and not favoring a less attractive looking child," Farley said. "Maybe that more attractive looking child might do better with extra attention and support and mentoring and all that. It's kind of an insidious thing we should all be worried about."

Farley also talked about a study some years ago where researchers had college applicants include a picture. They submitted identical resumes, but one had an attractive photo attached, the other unattractive photo. The attractive ones had a much higher rate of admissions, Timmeney reported.