An Australian car rental company has come under fire for its offensive language being used on its fleet. For 75 years, the slogan has been displayed on the side of the company’s cars, but a mother and her 7-year-old son are calling attention to the offensive nature of the slogan. Nicole Van Dijken and her son were taken aback when they saw a car with the phrase “no birds” written across the door.
Van Dijken was shocked and had to figure out what the slogan meant and how to explain it to her young son. The car rental company, called Bayswater Car Rental, was founded in 1958 and had a policy of not hiring women as drivers. The term “birds” was used to refer to women or delivery girls. Instead, customers were expected to pick up their own cars, so there were no “birds” behind the wheel, only the customers themselves.