The modeling contract a 17-year-old girl landed after pictures of her at a World Cup game went viral has now been rescinded, the New York Post reported Friday.
Cosmetics giant L'Oreal offered the modeling gig to Axelle Despiegelaere after the Internet exploded with photos of her cheering for her native Belgium at the June 22 World Cup game in Brazil.
But any hopes the blonde teenager might have had of being a model were shattered when L'Oreal suddenly terminated the contract. Despiegelaere had already completed a "beauty tutorial" video that was posted on YouTube on Tuesday.
L'Oreal did not give a specific reason for the termination, but the decision was made after Despiegelaere sparked controversy with Facebook photos of her posing near a dead animal she apparently hunted down during a trip to Africa.
"L'Oreal Professional Belgium collaborated with her on an ad hoc basis to produce a video for social media use in Belgium," a spokesperson told The Independent. "The contract has now been completed."
Despiegelaere posted the hunting photo the same day Belgium's soccer team eliminated the U.S. from the World Cup, according to the Post.
"Hunting is not a matter of life or death," the Belgian fan wrote in the picture's caption, which shows her crouching behind a dead oryx gazelle with black shades on. "It's much more important than that...this was about 1 year ago...ready to hunt americans today haha."
She quickly apologized when users lashed out at her over the photo.
"I didn't mean to offend anyone...it was a joke. Thanks for understanding."
The spokesperson did confirm to The Independent that the company was aware of the hunting photo. But instead of giving a reason for the termination, the representative mentioned that L'Oreal "no longer tests on animals, anywhere in the world, and does not delegate this task to others," the British newspaper reported.
Despiegelaere's promotional video has since been removed from Facebook.
