Ethics and discrimination in employment

The 2014 Soccer World Cup in Brazil hasn't interested me in the slightest so I've avoided commenting on it and I tend to avoid writing about models and shallow issues but today there was one issue which caught my attention.  Axelle Despiegelaere was a Belguin spectator at the FIFA World Cup.  L'oreal offered her a modelling contract which she signed and made the headlines over.  However, that contract wasn't to be due to a photo she posted on Facebook.  She was photographed with an animal and it's been assumed that she had hunted and killed the animal.  I should note though that although she is photographed with the animal the articles I've read do not say whether or not she was the one who killed it.

That's not the issue though.  The issue here is that she posted a photo on Facebook and was discriminated against based on it.  What's even worse is that L'oreal has come under fire in previous years because they test their products on animals.

Regardless of where you stand on hunting for game and fun that's not the problem with L'oreal's actions.  The issue is that it hasn't been confirmed in articles if Despiegelaere killed the animal in Africa herself and the other issue is that a company didn't allow an "employee" to have opinions.

According to research you can't legally discriminate against someone because they have opinions that you disagree with and given the photo was able to circulate in Africa hunting is clearly not illegal, so why should a 17 year old be punished for living her life?  Shouldn't L'oreal have communicated with her more effectively and said "look, we don't approve so can you please remove the photo".  That would have been fair rather than completely ostracising and dumping her.

Due to the rise of social media there is way too much of a blurring of the boundaries between private and professional lives. 

I understand businesses have an image to protect but it's time that they realised their staff members have lives outside of work.  They can't expect people to live by their rules 24/7.  It's really unethical that they do, and it's illegal and immoral.