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PERCHED ON HIGH heels in tight, bright dresses, crowds of girls line up hoping to become Spain’s first “Miss Gypsy” in a new pageant aimed at empowering a neglected minority.
With flowery shawls and crop-tops for the girls, black waistcoats and gelled hair for the boys, dozens of teenagers auditioned on Friday in the first round of the “Mister and Miss Gypsy” contest.
“I want to be a model. I love it,” said Libertad Barrull, 17, her hair pinned up in an elaborate bun, as she waited excitedly to go before the judges.
Spain’s gypsy traditions of flamenco singing and dancing may have a romantic image, but the ancient community of so-called “gitanos” here remains among the most underprivileged, figures show. Gypsies are also known as Roma.
The contest “gives them a helping hand to become something in life, like our generation couldn’t be,” said Libertad’s mother Rosario, 56.
Flocking to a Madrid hotel for the audition, the young contestants posed for photographs and crowded round tables where the organisers noted their names, education, interests and ambitions.
The contest aims to help gypsy women “be a bit more independent”, says Maria Jimenez of the Northern Flamenco Association, the organiser of the contest.
“For a gypsy woman, the aim is always just to get married very young, at 14 or 15, and have children,” she said.
“I want the gypsy woman to study and become independent so she doesn’t depend on her husband to give her 10 euros so she can eat.”
Not just pretty faces
The jury — five non-Roma judges from fashion and show business — is therefore encouraged to judge not just the contestants’ looks but their minds.
“It’s not just about being pretty,” said another of the organisers, Eva Jimenez. “It’s about studying and being intelligent.”
Half the Roma people in Spain leave school by the age of 16, according to the latest figures from Secretariado Gitano, a rights group, which date to 2011.
“Things have changed a lot” for the gypsies over time, said Rosario’s friend, Sonia Heredia, 36.
People have started to realise now that you can’t get married so soon because you’re tying yourself down to being a housewife when you’re still a child.
The unemployment rate for the 725,000-strong minority is painfully high, however: 36 percent in 2011, according to the rights group. That was way above Spain’s already high national rate of 26 percent.
Showing off
For those hoping to make it to the final of Mister and Miss Gypsy on October 6, the contest is a fun chance to show off — but these youngsters and their families see the serious side too.
One prospective Mister Gypsy, Jesus Heredia, came to audition dressed in a spotless white shirt and dark red scarf.
“I hope it can open some doors,” said his mother, Esther, 45. “We will see what comes of it. It is a start, but it won’t stop the kids getting married the way they do.”
Jesus, who works in an ice cream parlour, came along to audition with his cousins.
“I want to be the best-looking,” he said. “But I’m also in it to show that we gypsies are people, just like the rest.”
Brave hotel…
Much lower unemployment rate at 36% than our indigenous “minority”…maybe we could swap?
Ah come on. Photos!!!!
Mister gypsey? Ill be entering my boss so..
Gypsy *
So if we have ‘travellers’ have we any gypsies in Ireland ?
There the same thing
So why don’t they call themselves gypsies and be proud ?
You will have to ask them that
Because we are not the same .gypsy and travellers come from completely different backgrounds
I’m not an expert on this…. But I believe the Roma Community merged with the Travelling Community. However, the Travelling Community is by blood predominantly Irish. Being that the Travelling Community is a closed society, through the years they kept their coupling within the community.
So today, in Ireland the Roma Community and the Travelling Community are two distinct groups with some similarities.
Because they arent Gypsies.
Irish Travellers are a distinct Irish ethnic minority, who separated from the settled Irish community at least 1000 years ago; the claim was made that they are distinct from the settled community as Icelanders are from Norwegians.[25] Even though all families claim ancient origins, not all families of Irish Travellers date back to the same point in time; some families adopted Traveller customs centuries ago, while others did so more recently.[26] It is unclear how many Irish Travellers would be included in this distinct ethnic group at least from a genetic perspective.
Irish Travelers are Irish!
I am not so sure 1000 years is enough for any sort of genetic variation, specially considering that there would be cases where this separation you speak of would break.
“I am not so sure 1000 years is enough for any sort of genetic variation”
Your concerns have been noted.
We don’t have travellers left here, this generation are sponging good for nothings who use the traveller title and name as an excuse to be a scourge on society.
If they separated from the community years ago, why do they take our dole, rent allowance etc. without giving anything back but sh1te to the community ?
This should be good…
Pikeys either way
Jaysus! Imagine the smell of piss at it!!
Lovely stuff.. they won a weekend in a layby
Wonder will the bar be open?
A Paegent, judged by people not from their community buy from the fashion and media circles? Why was their no educator on the panel? Sounds like there young men and women are being manipulated yet again.
There, their and they’re.
So when are the Mister and Miss Traveller contests starting?
Neglected minority???!!! Would you ever go away and F_ck yourself. You separated yourselves from society because you can’t be anyway civilised!
If it doesn’t make …… Follow the money. Someone is profiting from this.
……..make sense……. Sorry.
have your say