Hunting too Butch for Models, Go back to the Salon?

[Farm Boy]

L'Oreal seems to have hired a young woman after photographs of her attending the Wold Cup went viral. Then it canned her after she posted a photo of herself on a hunting trip from a year earlier. The photo seems to feature her with an image of a dead gemsbok. I can't shake the idea that this wouldn't have really been so much of an issue if it was in a male-dominated industry regarding a man. Is hunting still too butch for women? Is L'Oreal guilty of sexism hiding behind an animal rights facade? Something else?

Linky

 

[Formaldehyde]

That is an interesting straw man. But it doesn't seem to have anything to do with what occurred.

Even if L'Oreal "canned" her instead of the contract merely being completed, don't you think they have the right to select whatever spokespeople they wish? Can't you see how someone directly connected with shooting wild animals for fun might be construed as not being the best possible person to represent a cosmetics company? A company which is now trying its best to escape the negative image of nonsensical animal testing which was so common in that industry?

However, they were keen to stress that L'Oréal "no longer tests on animals, anywhere in the world, and does not delegate this task to others."

 

[BvBPL]

The fashion industry tends to be very sensitive to animal rights issues. It is possible that she was fired not because of the masculinity of the activity but because the activity involves animal violence.

One wonders if she would have been fired for posting pictures of herself at a caber toss. I think not.

 

[bhsup]

Even if L'Oreal "canned" her instead of the contract merely being completed, don't you think they have the right to select whatever spokespeople they wish?

I would agree with you here, with a caveat or two. Things like making sure they, even if they chose to terminate her connection with the company early, still pay her everything that was promised in the contract.

You're right that they are certainly not obligated to use her in any way, but if they signed saying she would get "X" then she needs to get "X" regardless. OF course, they could be morals clauses in the contract as well. Basically what I am saying is as long as they adhere to the terms of the contract, well then it's all golden.

 

[JollyRoger]

As a MRA, I am offended that L'Oreal hasn't fired a male hunter. Why are they treating men unequally?

I would agree with you here, with a caveat or two. Things like making sure they, even if they chose to terminate her connection with the company early, still pay her everything that was promised in the contract.

You're right that they are certainly not obligated to use her in any way, but if they signed saying she would get "X" then she needs to get "X" regardless. OF course, they could be morals clauses in the contract as well. Basically what I am saying is as long as they adhere to the terms of the contract, well then it's all golden.

I'm sure the contract contains quite a bot of language of what happens when one party chooses the termination option in the contract. Just like a deed of trust document in a home loan transaction contains such language when one side decides to take the option to stop making payments. Don't know if my analogy causes you to question L'Oreal's moral character here.

 

[kramerfan86]

Are you sure it wasnt the hunt americans comment that got her canned? I dont know why the hunting would, unlike some of these pictures she isnt posing with a vulnerable or endangered species.

 

[Formaldehyde]

I don't think that had anything to do with it. It wasn't even mentioned until now.

 

[nc-1701]

Are you sure it wasnt the hunt americans comment that got her canned? I dont know why the hunting would, unlike some of these pictures she isnt posing with a vulnerable or endangered species.

I just assumed this was it.

 

[Farm Boy]

As a MRA, I am offended that L'Oreal hasn't fired a male hunter. Why are they treating men unequally?

Do you think they vet their male employees to make sure none of them go on hunting trips?

 

[kramerfan86]

I don't think that had anything to do with it. It wasn't even mentioned until now.

Eh the first news story I saw on it made a fairly big deal of it.

 

[bhsup]

Just like a deed of trust document in a home loan transaction contains such language when one side decides to take the option to stop making payments. Don't know if my analogy causes you to question L'Oreal's moral character here.

Apples and armadillos and you're not dragging me into that in this totally unrelated thread.

 

[metatron]

L'Oreal seems to have hired a young woman after photographs of her attending the Wold Cup went viral. Then it canned her after she posted a photo of herself on a hunting trip from a year earlier. The photo seems to feature her with an image of a dead gemsbok. I can't shake the idea that this wouldn't have really been so much of an issue if it was in a male-dominated industry regarding a man. Is hunting still too butch for women?

The fashion industry tends to be very sensitive to animal rights issues. It is possible that she was fired not because of the masculinity of the activity but because the activity involves animal violence.

Well, maybe, it's not just that.
I suppose if she was hunting whatever dwells in Belgian forests (deer and whatnot) that would be less of a problem.
The picture of young, blonde, tall Europeans derping about in Africa with a hunting rifle is not exactly one that an international fashion company would want to have associated with their name.
Not that young, tall, blonde Europeans can never ever do that. But, for marketing purposes, context sort of overrules that general possibility.

 

[JollyRoger]

Apples and armadillos and you're not dragging me into that in this totally unrelated thread.

Both the apple and the armadillo are choosing an option in the contract to cut off future payment obligations.

I will admit that the apple is victimizing a bank while the armadillo is only victimizing a 17 year old girl.

 

[Formaldehyde]

Eh the first news story I saw on it made a fairly big deal of it.

It wasn't even mentioned in the OP or that article. But I did see it in the tweet. I just assumed it was meant as a joke.

 

[brennan]

Eh the first news story I saw on it made a fairly big deal of it.

On what grounds? Surely no one was stupid enough to take it as anything other than a comment on the Belgium/USA game that very day...?

I don't think this has anything to do with how 'butch' hunting is (what's butch about hunting with a rifle???) Just appeasing the animal rights lobby.

 

[Farm Boy]

I don't think this has anything to do with how 'butch' hunting is (what's butch about hunting with a rifle???) Just appeasing the animal rights lobby.

Well, that's certainly how it's presented, they probably believe it true, and it might be true. But do you think that models are held to the same standards as a male executive? As in, if this was a male manager in the firm would it even matter? Would it simply not be news?

 

[illram]

I do think that if a man high up in the L'Oreal hierarchy has hunting photos posted online, or anything else that works against a more humane image that they want to cultivate, it would be an issue for them yes.

 

[kochman]

Can't you see how someone directly connected with shooting wild animals for fun might be construed as not being the best possible person to represent a cosmetics company?

What?
She went hunting, big deal. It's not like she runs tours for a living. I guarantee her family, which clearly has enough money to send her to Brazil for soccer games, paid for it, etc... Really not a big deal. I don't think people were going to boycott L'Oreal because some model went hunting once.

 

[brennan]

do you think that models are held to the same standards as a male executive? As in, if this was a male manager in the firm would it even matter? Would it simply not be news?

The 'outrage' in this case was from third parties over twitter, do you think that they wouldn't have kicked up the same fuss if it was a male manager instead of a model? If not, whose fault would that be?

Do you think it is just as simple to fire a manager as a model?

Do you think two people doing very different jobs should be held to the same standards over their public behaviour - one being there specifically for public image, the other being a faceless administrator?

The case is not as simple as you suggest, even if you assume they did it because of the hunting photograph.

 

[Farm Boy]

I do think that if a man high up in the L'Oreal hierarchy has hunting photos posted online, or anything else that works against a more humane image that they want to cultivate, it would be an issue for them yes.

How about if he old pictures of himself hunting at 16? I'm not sure anyone would care. Sure, if the twittermob came out strong enough they might feel they had to, but I don't think the twittermob would have the attention span for it. Do you? I could be wrong.

The 'outrage' in this case was from third parties over twitter, do you think that they wouldn't have kicked up the same fuss if it was a male manager instead of a model? If not, whose fault would that be?

Do you think it is just as simple to fire a manager as a model?

Do you think two people doing very different jobs should be held to the same standards over their public behaviour - one being there specifically for public image, the other being a faceless administrator?

The case is not as simple as you suggest, even if you assume they did it because of the hunting photograph.

Oh for sure. It is complicated. But I'm not sure that the outrage is for entirely benign reasons. It's making me nervous. But only nervous. I'm expressing a concern and appreciating the feedback whether or not Formy decides I'm constructing an interesting logical fallacy and advocacy.

If anything, while I agree that an administrator is held to lesser standards in a lot of ways, one would think that they should probably be held to higher ones. An administrator might actually have some say in how the company tests its products. A model, presumably a new junior model, just wears them.