Axell Despiergelaere figured to be the next Pamela Anderson, the last ubiquitous beauty queen who was discovered cheering in a stadium. The Belgian beauty in the red, black and yellow viking cap was the great non-soccer story of World Cup 2014, plucked out of the multitude by L’Oreal while cheering the Belgian national team in Brazil. Sure it all seemed like a set-up–and it happened with lightning speed–but that’s the way things go these days: fast. The trip from anonymity to fame can be a short one. Ask Snookie or Edward Snowden. Despiergelaere announced on Facebook that she’d signed a contract with L’Oreal just days after the game.
Then there were some issues, as can happen when things move so fast. The Daily Mail pointed out that the 17-year-old was something of a hunter, which didn’t sit well with many. Especially when she posted a photo of her with her prey and joked how she (and the Belgian National team) was about to “hunt some americans.” (Belgium faced the US team in the World Cup that day. L’Oreal heard from the Twittersphere about it. (What 17-year-old could pass a rigid examination on the proprietyof her social media output?) It’s reported that L’Oreal responded by cancelling the deal. There are other beautiful girls, after all, who haven’t shot more than a selfie.
