Home Scandal and Gossip Axelle Despiegelaere cut by L’Oreal over hunting pictures.

Axelle Despiegelaere cut by L’Oreal over hunting pictures.

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Axelle Despiegelaere
What’s in store for Axelle Despiegelaere?

It seems Belgian world cup soccer fan, Axelle Despiegelaere, whose vivacious beauty inspired the imagination of millions of television viewers and beauty maker L’Oreal  as well will not get to live her fairy dream come true after all. This after L’Oreal has decided to drop the 17 year old Belgian world cup beauty after a Facebook photo of her revealed her passion for big game hunting.

Pictures: Axelle Despiegelaere, Belgian world cup fan wins L’Oreal modeling contract 

In the photo the teen can be seen proudly posing next to a slaughtered wild animal, with rifle in tow, a look and a sensibility that L’Oreal have openly told in the past does not bode very well with them.

But if the image was damning, the caption underneath was even more damning.

Wrote Axelle: ‘Hunting is not a matter of life or death. It’s much more important than that.’

Which might be an assessment of life that may work for many except unfortunately for Axelle Despiegelaere not a sensibility that is agreeable to L’Oreal who have been very keen to promote itself as being sympathetic to animal welfare concerns, thus compelling the beauty line to disassociate itself with the Belgian beauty.

Speaking to The Independent, the cosmetics giant said: ‘L’Oréal Professionnel Belgium collaborated with her on an ad hoc basis to produce a video for social media use in Belgium. The contract has now been completed.’

The L’Oreal spokesperson added that, although the brand was aware of the photograph of the hunting trip, it would not comment on whether it led to the decision to sever ties with Despiegelaere.

They were keen to stress, however, that L’Oréal ‘no longer tests on animals, anywhere in the world, and does not delegate this task to others.’

L’Oreal has long promoted itself as sensitive to animal welfare concerns.

In 2012 the company donated $1.2million to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help improve the testing of safe chemicals.

Umbrage to Axelle Despiegelaere’s passion for wild game hunting came to the fore after fans went to her personal facebook page (since removed) only to find to their horror that the young woman was a fan of wild game hunting.

In an attempt to make light of her passion for hunting, the girl had posted comments Wednesday night, in an attempt to diffuse any tension and one imagines not cast aspersions of her character with L’Oreal who the young woman by now must have realized was wearily watching developments.

Wrote Axelle:

Axelle Despiegelaere L'Oreal

Nevertheless come Thursday morning, Axelle’s entire personal Facebook page had been deleted as fans continued to take the Belgian to task for her passion for hunting. 

In the end sensing controversy and mindful of political tact L’Oreal decided to walk away from the Belgian beauty. At least for now. Expect the young woman to be starring in an avalanche of campaigns before the fall is over as other tastemakers and beauty and apparel makers pick up what L’Oreal considered too politically unpalatable.

Pictures via Axelle Despiegelaere unofficial facebook fan page

Axelle Despiegelaere L'Oreal

Axelle Despiegelaere L'Oreal

Axelle Despiegelaere L'Oreal

Axelle Despiegelaere L'Oreal

Axelle Despiegelaere L'Oreal

Axelle Despiegelaere L'Oreal

Axelle Despiegelaere L'Oreal

Axelle Despiegelaere L'Oreal

Axelle Despiegelaere L'Oreal

Axelle Despiegelaere L'Oreal

Axelle Despiegelaere L'Oreal

Axelle Despiegelaere L'Oreal

Axelle Despiegelaere L'Oreal

Axelle Despiegelaere L'Oreal

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3 COMMENTS

  1. Company perving social media sites has got to come to an end… what people do in their time while NOT on company time has nothing whatsoever to do with the company. Another thing, people, especially social media perving companies need to grow thicker skins, or stop perving. It is really that simple. Personally, I would like global legislation to come in place whereby should a person in the capacity of any company or similar position of some authority, reads a website (regardless of where) that that company will held as criminally liable, discriminatory, infringing human rights and/or civil liberties, and anything else, that causes a person to be fired, or causes some action taken against the employee. It needs to be brought to a stop. I personally do not have a facebook account, but I do find so many places forcing us to have facebook accounts in order to make use of their software, or website…

  2. I’ve seen many comments regarding this, and I thought I would put in my 2 cents worth. There’s an old saying that goes “Live by the sword, die by the sword”, and this is a classic example. How hard did she work to get that contract with L’Oreal? Not too hard. She got her picture taken because she’s attractive, and someone at L’Oreal said “That’s the image we are looking for.”, like Don Draper from Mad Men. Then she posts a picture of herself hunting with a gun, with a ‘funny’ caption joking about hunting people, and someone at L’Oreal says “This is NOT the image we are looking for.” Done deal, easy come, easy go. Now everyone wants to complain, but it is just L’Oreal’s marketing department making a decision as to how they want to promote their company. If you don’t like it you should start a cosmetic company with a global presence, contact her and hire her as one of your spokes models.

  3. When did hunting become evil and repulsive?
    It is a management tool used by governments and environmentalists all over the
    world. Poaching is illegal, but legitimate hunters bring in money to a local economy
    and a nation’s government, just like any other tourist attraction.

    This is like yelling at someone smoking a cigarette… it’s legal. If you don’t like what’s going on yell at the countries using wildlife management and enjoying the tourist money… don’t yell at this poor girl who is doing something LEGAL!

    As for some of her comments; the first person that has NEVER said anything stupid (myself included) may now speak…

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