Axelle Despiegelaere Receives Backlash After L'Oreal Contract; Why Did the Belgian Beauty Cause Uproar?

A few weeks ago, most soccer fans have no idea who Axelle Despiegelaere is. But when her noticeable beauty was seen during a World Cup match, "the most beautiful" fan's photo trended online and she later bagged a modeling deal with L'Oreal Professionnel.

According to the Mirror,  Axelle, a 17-year-old Belgian, was approached by L'Oreal after seeing a viral photo of her wearing a Viking helmet, her face smeared with the colors of her country. Soon after, the Huffington Post reported that through her Facebook page, Axelle announced that she has accepted the offer (but the same report noted that there was no contract).

Although Belgium was sent home by now-finalist Argentina at the quarterfinals, she has now appeared in a video promoting the company, a bittersweet ending to her World Cup experience.

A week after her photo went viral on social media, Business Insider said her Facebook fan page got 230,000 likes (it has breached the 260,000 mark as of press time.) When she returned home to Belgium, she set up her own Facebook page that had over 19,000 fans, giving curious Facebook users a chance to check out more photos of her during her stay in Brazil.

But her newfound fame has been marred by another photo. A controversial picture of her holding a rifle and sitting behind what seems like a dead gazelle, got many of her followers dismayed, the Business Insider said. The caption only made the impact worse— "Hunting is not a matter of life or death. It's much more important than that..this was about 1 year ago...ready to hunt Americans today haha."

Though she changed the caption to "this was about 1 year ago..." social media users found an opportunity to criticize Axelle for her post. L'Oreal was also dragged into the issue because the company had faced complaints about animal testing in the past years, Business Insider added.

By Thursday morning, Axelle's entire Facebook page was reportedly deleted. Her video for L'Oreal is still on the company's Facebook page, according to Business Insider.

A report from the International Business Times suggested that being plucked out of obscurity in a sea of fans is not that unique, volunteering the likes of Katherine Webb as an example. The 23-year-old former Miss Alabama USA was cheering on boyfriend A.J. McCarron when an ESPN commentator spotted her. She became an instant celebrity.

Jenn Sterger was also spotted in much the same way in 2005 and went on to pose for Playboy and Maxim, the report added. Rebecca Grant and Kacie McDonnell were also mentioned.

While the world wonders if Axelle will survive this early blow, The Sydney Morning Herald offered an interesting literature on the pitfalls of fairytale successes like hers. A research paper by David Rockwell said overnight success stories can expect a radical shift, adding that for youngsters like the Belgian, the fame may lead to isolation.

Meanwhile, The Independent has confirmed that L'Oreal has already "cut its ties" with Axelle. "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 company's spokesperson, also told The Independet that L'Oreal "no longer tests on animals, anywhere in the world, and does not delegate this task to others."