Thelma's Gypsy Girls

[MrsJoeDuffy]

anyone watching?

" the good news is we are taking on 10 girls, the bad news is they are travellers"

I've nearly finished Thelma's book....

Is the tv show all about how less than perfect Thelmas facial trigonometry is or something? Have i been mistakened? why is this a certain preoccuption of some of yours? are you that body dysmorphic that this is the first thing you notice about people.. how innacurate someones facial alignment is? What is the point that you are trying to make? That Thelma is somehow an immoral, intolerable being as a result of the mathematical formation of her facial musculoskeleton? Does this actually make logic to you? If i'm not mistaken.. Thelma makes a living from dress making.. not being a photogenic supermodel.. i don't know why her looks are at all relevent to this disscussion.

As long as you're still menstruating.. you can conceieve a child.. and she did..
Well done for being intellectual enough to grasp this simple concept.

So what she went to jail.. it's not like she murdered someone. It was at a bad time in her life and when she didn't have financial stability. People make mistakes.. and what.. shes turned her life around and made a great tv career for herself. Are you all flawless, church-going, holy water sprouting, charity endorsing human beings yourself are you? then i don't think you can really point the finger. Thelma is actually trying to help these girls and show these girls a world they would have normally never got to explore.. what contribution have you made to society in your life other than sit and bitch on the internet over something so trival like the way one looks or how it's such a physical shock to humanity that a women can concieve at child in their 50's? Is this what gets you going is it?

I find it hard to believe that your actually suggesting these girls are being exploited. They are being PAID to be trained.. something that doesn't happen for regualar people. Not to mention being privately tutored.. all from Thelmas own pocket. And they don't even realise.

Regardless if it's a generalisation of what travellers are.. there is still a branch (as exampled in the tv shows) of travellers that DO live like this... and it needs to be addressed.. and compared with the other tv seris.. this particular show does do this. The only people who are exploiting these girls are their own parents/community. Keeping them as slaves in the home, rasing their children for them, coniditoning them to be objects for men and avoiding them from being educated.. so they can remain dumb and easily controlable. Similar to how women are treated in Islam.. you have an issue with it then.. but because they are white and have irish accents.. it's not a problem at all and there shouldn't be shows to try and help them and highlight these issues within these communities?

For a site called "mumsnet" you all sure do have bad attitudes.

Thelma?

I'm not loving the show.

Thelma originally stuck up for Bridget then bereted her for not joining in and for dressing differently.

This made me feel really uncomfortable because she is basically saying that because she is a traveller she must make an effort to blend in with them. Why should she?? As in all cultures some are different from others and others choose to live their lives in different ways. I found that so bizarre.

I also think she still let Victoria threaten Lilyanne in the last episode.

Basically she is trying to cling on to as many trainees as possible to make the project work rather than just training and making good of the ones that actually care and want to do it.

I am sure Thelma made enough from the show to cover a few hours of tutoring a week.

I think she's doing it through a steps-to-work course, so they'd be getting JSA etc topped because they're completing a training scheme. So it wouldn't be costing her much in wages (although lots in terms of in loss of production time, costs of bigger place etc).

What I can't get my head round is why they don't separate them when they're doing stitching sessions with the tutor and other stuff that requires attention. Surely having a audience makes the loud ones play up more?

Catlover - are you Thelma??

I'm a traveller. I hate this. Its bollocks. Never met anyone like these people. Its as realistic as towie or the Chelsea one or jersey shore. Hand picked extreme cases playing up to the camera for their 15 minutes. Thelma who?

I think it was Thelma or her daughter or friend, having a rant after a Google.

Thelma, just to let you know we aren't into cosmetic surgery/botox etc or normally discuss it in this house. I thought myself that there was something not right about your face I didn't say anything, my 12 year old piped up Mum what's the deal with Thelmas face, I responded she may have a medical condition or dodgy facelift. Later I noticed your daughter in her thirties has the drooping skin by her ears too and then said to the kids it looks like genetic issues with their skin or a bogof job. It is v noticable, I am sorry for you getting grief for it, it must be upsetting. People question those who put themselves in the public eye.

hi have watched this show from the start.I thought Thelma was out of order when she said that her daughter Tracy use to be bullyed at school and she went right round to the bullys mother to sort it out. she should have stuck up for Bridget better than what she did she has morals unlike Thelma. Has Thelma forgot that her daughter Tracy has pinced someone eles husband of them .I warn all the travellers to keep their eyes on the men or they might be taken of them as well as there money. By the way I heard Cat was adopted but dont know if it is true . Would think it would be hard to adopt when you have just come out of prison for robbing the state and earning a good living as well .shows you how greedy people they are want it all . no morals at all . she put her daughter up to what she did but what goes around comes around.

I am warming to Thelma as time goes by. It's an interesting show.

So the daughter sleeps with married men? Very poor morals, selfishness and severe lack of empathy, if true.

@olympicrelay

Aww.. what an intellectuallly curious little daughter you have there. I bet it's a lovely little sport you have between the two of you.. picking people off the street who 'don't look quite right' and inquring whether they maybe had a car accident or a disability. What delightful little humans beings you must be.

I hope your daughter is as concerned with her own looks as is others. If that's the case i'm sure she will quite enjoy her annorexia/body dysmorphia in a few years to come. Then maybe she might be able to fit into one of my dresses one day. But she still probably wouldn't be able to afford it. There's always dreaming though x

One of your dresses?

@sewrosy

Why is it 'out of order' to contact the parent of a child who is bullying your daughter and notify them to reprimand their child? 'sort them out' doesn't necessarily refer to bash their head in if that's what you were thinking.. it means 'sorting' the situation out. There is nothing 'out of order' about that at all.. quite the oppisite.

Thelma did stick up for Bridget.. you could see the outragement in her face when she she became aware of the "poking with pins" situation and immediately suspended the girls in question. The situation was sorted.. but Bridget remained to make no effort to join in with the girls.. even calling them "tarts" and insulting their clothing and Thelma simply made a passing comment "that girls not doing herself any favours". And that was a fact. Bridget also acted in a type of 'disgust' towards the project dresses they were all working on.. and if you're not happy with what you're doing you shouldn't be doing it. You're not just a dressmaker, you're a representative of the company and if you have that attitude towards your own products it is not going to make a great selling point.

Bridget wasn't making a great contribution and was continiously running to the bathroom crying everytime someone said a slightly negative word towards her. If someone is mocking you or being phsyically threatening that is one issue.. but at some point when you are in a group working environment.. there is going to be dispution and you going to get upset about something.. you need to have a backbone and running off crying to the bathroom and demanding a taxi bring you home everytime is not going to be accetpable in a professional working environent.. and thelma had every right to let her go.

In regards to Thelmas daughter Tracy's private relations, i have no idea why you think they are at all relevent to this discussion. It is absolutely none of anyones business and to bring it up in a sentence about thelma sticking up for her daughter being bullied and use it to somehow negate that and suggest thelma is a hypocrite.. is just bizarre. And which daiughter would you be talking about? she does have an 8 yaer old you know. What has tracy have to do with that?

Is everyone reading cat lovers posts in Thelma's voice?

@mrsJRwing

"severe lack of empathy".. wheres all your contributions towards starving children in africa then? you're obviously full of empathy and kindness towards the human race.

What tracy does in the privacy of her own bedroom with whoever, i hate to break it you, but it is really none of your business or concern and you really have no authority to comment on it.

Yes, Tiger.

Catlover, I can comment, I already have in questioning and responding to the poster who brought up the alledged affair.

Catlover Thelma or the other woman with dark hair who is her partner on the show, I agree with every word you have said.

However if you put yourself out there on a programme like this you are going to get mixed reviews and you are kind of asking for acknowledgement and opinions, negative or otherwise.

Great posts from you though .

I work with Travellers, in a not too dissimilar role. I think itsa realistic and true portrayal.

Who on Earth would like to wear one of you dresses? I mean really... The most awful things I have ever seen in my life.

Loving Thelma's Catlovers posts on this thread.