A Sydney mother has won her fight against a campervan hire company's "misogynistic slogans", as a petition she started gained more than 110,000 signatures.
Paula Orbea launched the campaign targeting Wicked Campers after her 11-year-old daughter noticed a passing van with the slogan, "In every princess, there's a little slut who wants to try it just once".
After four days, the Change.org campaign has resulted in a written apology from Wicked Campers owner, John Webb, and a guarantee to "acknowledge the prevailing community opinion by removing the slogan in question and making a commitment over the coming six months to changing slogans of an insensitive nature".
Ms Orbea told Fairfax Media that, while the Advertising Standards Board has been trying to crack down on Wicked Campers' slogans for many years, this time was different.
"I think it's the fact it was my [11-year-old] daughter who filed the complaint. They listened and it struck a chord," she said.
We did it!! THANK YOU everyone for your amazing & strong support. I have always had faith that #peoplepower can prevail - and it has! Woop! — Paula Orbea (@QuestionsforUs) July 16, 2014
Wicked Campers' apology also follows a motion put by federal Greens Senator Larissa Waters to stop the company "promoting violence against women" with slogans painted on its vehicles.
In a statement on Wednesday, Senator Waters said the slogans Wicked Campers painted on its vans were unacceptable.
The upper house has since agreed to note and condemn the "litany of sexist, misogynistic, and racist slogans" that have been used by Wicked Campers.
Ms Orbea, a Sydney high school teacher, said the campaign was not a personal attack against the company, but a motion to look at whether the language used on the vans was crossing a line.
Since responding to the petition, Wicked Campers has reportedly suggested people spray over the slogans themselves.
One such replacement slogan read, "if it's something you won’t say to your nan, don’t put it on your van".
Ms Orbea, who has blogged about the issue, said she was humbled with the response and that the issue had made it to the Senate.
"I've always asked and encouraged people to stand up," she said.
"No one is saying don't have a joke, but when you have this perspective putting women in that bubble it's not OK."
