Let it be said that L’Oreal giveth, and L’Oreal taketh away. Just days after L’Oreal shared a video of 17-year old Belgian World Cup fan Axelle Despiegelaere getting her first makeover as a professional model, it has been reported that the whole thing has been yoinked away from her, possibly because of the above image that she shared on her Facebook fan page while trash talking before Belgium took on the United States. According to the Independent, Despiegelaere’s so-called contract was basically a one-off shoot for that video, and L’Oreal is done with her.
However, it’s very convenient timing as the Internet has been outraged over the hunting shot since the day she posted it, but even more so since it started making the rounds earlier this week. Additionally, people were posting negative comments both on the L’Oreal video and Despiegelaere’s Facebook fan page about the fact that she’s just a girl with a pretty face, and she doesn’t deserve fame just because of that. Welcome to Internet celebrity, Axelle. (Consequently, her Facebook fan page has been deleted, but the unofficial page with more than 279,000 fans still exists, and people are still sharing their outrage over the hunting photos in the comments.)
A L’Oreal spokesperson told The Independent: “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 spokesperson said that, although the brand was aware of the photograph, it would not comment on whether this was behind the decision to terminate Ms Despiegelaere’s contract. However, they were keen to stress that L’Oréal “no longer tests on animals, anywhere in the world, and does not delegate this task to others.” (Via the Independent)
Well, we can only hope that a young, attractive blonde female can get her life together and go on to find success again. I know it will be hard, but I have a feeling she can do it.
