FRENCH cosmetics firm L'Oréal has dropped a Belgian football fan it hired after pictures emerged of her on a hunting trip.
Belgian fan Axelle Despiegelaere was hired by L'Oréal[Ian MacNicol/Pacific Coast News]Seventeen-year old Axelle Despiegelaere caught the attention of L'Oréal bosses after she was pictured in the stands proudly supporting her country during the World Cup in BrazilDubbed the "most beautiful" football supporter in the world, the teenager made global headlines as she cheered on her national side in the Group H match against Russia.
The images of her dressed in her country's colours - red, black and yellow - were so striking that they landed her a contract to star in a L’Oréal Professionnel Belgique social media campaign.This included a "hair tutorial" video, which has been viewed more than a million times since Tuesday. It features the teenager in a salon getting a blow dry and a full hair treatment.Miss Despiegelaere looked like she was set to become a future model after quickly accumulating an online following. Her Facebook page attracted hundreds of thousands of 'likes'. 
Axelle pictured with a gun and a dead oryx gazelle on a hunting trip [Enterprise news and pictures]But that was until pictures emerged of Miss Despiegelaere posing with a rifle next to a dead oryx gazelle while on a hunting trip in Africa. The image was reportedly accompanied with the caption: "Hunting is not a matter of life or death. It's much more important than that."L'Oréal has cut ties with Miss Despiegelaere, from West Flanders, though a spokesman insisted that she did not represent the brand and that her contract was "completed". The spokesman 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."
Axelle's pictures went viral [Enterprise news and pics]While the spokesman would not confirm whether the photograph had influenced the company's decision, he did stress that L'Oréal "no longer tests on animals, anywhere in the world, and does not delegate this task to others".Keen to promote its image as environmentally-friendly, the company donated $1.2million (£700,000) to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2012 to help improve the testing of safe chemicals. The world's biggest beauty company, L'Oréal's empire ranges from make-up to hair and skin products. Its high-profile models and ambassadors include Jennifer Lopez and Blake Lively.
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