Lonely Planet removes Wicked Campers from travel guide after Collective Shout pressure

As published at Collective Shout

Collective Shout’s Coralie Alison and Sydney activist and educator Paula Orbea asked Lonely Planet to stop promoting misogynist camper van hire company. Lonely Planet responded:

“thanks for flagging this important matter, Coralie. Listing was removed from our Australian 18 guide (produced last year; hitting shelves in Nov)…the listing still on the site has been raised with the online editorial team.”

Paula launched a petition against Wicked Campers last year after her daughter was confronted with a disturbing misogynist slogan on a Wicked Camper van. Collective Shout wrote about the campaign here.

The campaign achieved widespread media attention. As the petition approached 130,000 signatures Wicked Campers agreed to remove the slogans over a period of 6 months. They lied. Here’s the latest update at Paula’s site.

As Paula pointed out in her article, it is worth continuing to speak out.

Contact camp sites and caravan grounds, ask if their policy is to turn away Wicked Camper vans with sexist or explicit slogans and imagery.

If you see a tourism, travel guide site or publication promoting Wicked Campers, let them know why Lonely Planet has stopped promoting the company and ask them to do the same.

Let us know about any action you take and especially if you receive a response via comments section below.

Here’s the exchange with Lonely Planet

UPDATE: Violence against women just a joke says Wicked

This would have to be the most condescending media statement I’ve ever read. Those who object to Wicked’s women hating slogans lack a sense of humour.

But see how things are suddenly not so funny when protestors took the company up on its recent offer to anyone who doesn’t like their slogans to paint over them?

Re-facing of their vans is more serious than the degradation of women.

Protestors, let this fire you up for further action.

 

A new wave of indignation

 

Since publishing the last update on this petition, I have continued to work toward attaining what was asked for of Wicked Campers in the first place – to eliminate degrading and misogynistic slogans and images from their vans.

Obviously, Wicked Campers themselves have made it abundantly clear that they will not be upholding their promise as evidenced by my ‘Literally Wicked’ post that I keep updating with images as they’re sent to me. Sign petition now