The Equality Act 2010 provides that someone with a severe disfigurement may fall within the protected characteristic of disability. However, the parameters of the severe disfigurement provision remain uncertain. These parameters are under particular tension from the related concepts of appearance and disability, which partially overlap with disfigurement. This article argues that ‘disfigurement’ should be read as encompassing a broader range of appearance-altering conditions than has yet been recognised. Legal protection should extend beyond conditions such as scarring to include other visible differences. The personal, relative nature of disfigurement should also be recognised; disfigurement should not be viewed as a universal standard irrespective of context, but as a measure of the extent to which a particular person’s appearance is affected by an impairment. Resolving the underlying tension between the concepts of disability and appearance is key not just to addressing disfigurement but also other visible, stigmatised conditions, including obesity.

中文翻译：

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反歧视法中的难点区分：毁容、外貌和残疾

2010 年《平等法》规定，严重毁容的人可能属于受保护的残疾特征。然而，严重毁容条款的参数仍然不确定。这些参数受到外观和残疾的相关概念的特别紧张，这部分与毁容重叠。这篇文章认为，“毁容”应该被理解为涵盖了比尚未认识到的更广泛的外观改变条件。法律保护应超越疤痕等条件，包括其他明显的差异。还应认识到毁容的个人、相对性质；毁容不应该被视为一个普遍的标准，无论背景如何，但作为衡量特定人的外表受损伤影响程度的衡量标准。解决残疾和外貌概念之间潜在的紧张关系不仅是解决毁容问题的关键，也是解决其他明显的、被污名化的情况（包括肥胖）的关键。