The Hooters restaurant chain is a frequently discussed example of a potentially discriminatory employer due to its policy of hiring only female waitstaff who wear sexually provocative uniforms. The company defends this practice by arguing that its female employees are essential to its business model, which markets through sex appeal to attract customers. Hooters has faced discrimination lawsuits from men for its hiring practices but has consistently settled these cases out of court, thereby avoiding a definitive legal ruling on whether its policies constitute a valid BFOQ.