Anyone remember how pneumatic model and eventual Baywatch babe Pamela Anderson was discovered? Wikipedia does. “During the summer of 1989, Anderson went with friends to a BC Lions Canadian Football League game at BC Place in Vancouver, during which live video of her wearing a tightly-fitted Labatt‘s Beer t-shirt was shown on the stadium’s huge video screen, causing an immense roar of approval from the crowd.” A star was born! And now, history repeats itself on a much wider stage, as a photo of 17-year old Belgian soccer fan Axelle Despiegelaere [above left] went viral. There is however a huge difference between the two women’s opinions on one important perhaps career-killing subject . . .
Pamela Anderson is an animal rights activist, She’s agitated for PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), campaigned against seal hunting and vilified Kentucky Fried Chicken. As you can see from the photo above, Ms. Despiegelaere is a hunter who’s journeyed to Africa to bag wild game. As dailymail.co.uk reports, the hunting images posted on her Facebook page are not likely to sit well with those seeking to exploit her beauty . . .
Her public success may be short lived as now a photo has emerged of the teenager posing with a rifle and a dead animal in Africa.
‘Hunting is not a matter of life or death. It’s much more important than that,’ she said on her Facebook page reported The Sydney Morning Herald.
L’Oreal has not responded to the revelations, but it is keen to promote it’s image of animal welfare – in 2012 the company donated $1.2million to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help improve the testing of safe chemicals.
All the images of Ms. Despiegelaere’s hunting adventures have been pulled from her Facebook page, which has nearly 300k likes and counting. As of Friday AM, there is no “Kill Axelle Despiegelaere” page – as there was for teenage huntress and cheerleader Kendall Jones (Kill Kendall Jones version since removed).
Even so, I’m betting animal rights activists are not going to give up that easily and L’Oreal will eventually cave. We shall see. Meanwhile, I reckon FN should offer her a contract, too.
UPDATE: Commentator Johnv2 reports that L’Oreal has canceled negotiations with Ms. Despiegelaere. [Click here for the story.] This despite L’Oreal Belgium’s Despiegelaere-flavored YouTube video, which they have not pulled:
