I’m sick of gypsy stereotypes, I don’t live in a caravan but I DID pull my kid out of school & don’t care if I’m judged
A TRAVELLER has revealed she’s sick of the stereotypes on her culture circulating online.
Tracey King, 50, hit back at haters who claim she isn’t a ‘real traveller‘ because she lives in a house.
The mum-of-four married a ‘gorger’, (someone outside of the traveller community,) Mark King, 55, and regularly shares her life on social media, but she talks exclusively to Fabulous about the stereotypes she’s sick to death of hearing.
From living in a house to keeping pets home, Tracey has been ridiculed for her lifestyle and not conforming to tradition.
But now, she has hit back at the nasty comments and revealed why she went against her own rule to keep her kids in school.
RUFF CROWD
The brunette beauty reveals that she often gets hate from her own community for allowing dogs in the house.
Tracey revealed she was brought up to never have dogs in the house – but it all changed when her eldest daughter asked her to look after her pet chihuahua after she gave birth.
The dog ended up staying with Tracey, and she loves the pooch so much she lets it climb all over the sofas and herself – much to the dismay of other travellers in the community.
She says: “I get a lot of stick over the dogs, I really do – I was brought up to never have them in the house.
You ain’t a traveller, your filth, your house is rot
Tracey King
“People say ‘‘Omg you’ve got a dog in the house you ain’t no traveller.’
“Yes she’s in the house that’s where she’ll stay, my dad wouldn’t have a dog in the house and tells me to put them outside.”
She revealed pets aren’t so common int he community and many keep them outside if they do have one as they think pets will make the home dirty.
But there’s another animal in the house that causes people to lose their minds over Tracey – the fact she has pet rats.
Her daughter wanted the rats and so Tracey decided to get them for her, but people have slammed her as ‘filthy’.
“‘You ain’t a traveller, your filth, your house is rot, I just think, it’s a rat,” she adds.
“We call them long tails in the traveller community – it’s a bad omen.”
SCRUB UP
If you have ever crossed over to #gypsycleaning on social media – then you know the community pride themselves on their spotless houses.
One big no-no for travellers is using a mop on the floors as they say it’s dirty – but Tracey reveals she prefers an easy life.
Despite this, Tracey revealed she gets many comments claiming the community as a whole are dirty and leave rubbish around, which she says couldn’t be further from the truth.
“The biggest myth is that people think we’re dirty, we’re clean, when you live in a small space you had to be on top of it,” she explains.
“Three years ago I would do this house top to bottom every day, but since being ill I can’t – I can’t do the windows every day now, I don’t want to wear myself out.
“They say you’ll wash the dirt from one place to the other using a mop – those on their hands and knees are doing the same but with a cloth.
“I’d prefer holidays and days out than sitting and cleaning all day.”
HOUSE PROUD
Tracey has always grown up in a house despite being from the traveller community.
It’s led to the mum constantly having to prove her roots to others, and says it’s becoming the normal for travellers to live in houses.
“I get daily that I’m not a gypsy because I live in a house.” she says.
“My grandparents had a wagon, birthed 13 children in it, slept underneath it, and when they came down to Kent, the parish helped them get a house because they had no money and barely any clothes on their back.
“The chalets today are out of this world but no one travels because you can’t stay anywhere.
“Now you can’t go travelling and work on the farms – you need a p45.”
SCHOOL RULES
While there are lots of traveller traditions Tracey doesn’t stick to – she did reveal that she let her youngest daughter drop out of public education to be homeschooled.
Tracey has received nasty comments regarding homeschooling her daughter, with many assuming it’s what ‘all gypsies do.”
The mum’s three eldest children finished education in school and even went on to college but she isn’t completely against homeschooling.
“GCSE doesn’t mean everything these days, we know how to make a living,” the mum adds.
“The stereotype is that girls settle down and have kids – but I know lots of traveller girls who want to work even after marriage.
“We were brought up to get married and have kids but I don’t want that for my girls, unless that’s what they want to do.”
Her youngest daughter, Scarlett, 12, was homeschooled after finding secondary school difficult.
She adds: “The tradition is that kids go to school until secondary – the boys go to work, the daughters stay home, and learn to look after the home.
“But I took my youngest out for different circumstances, and she’s come out in leap and bounds.
“She’s in a much better place it was the best thing I’ve done for her.”
Regarding the nasty comments, Tracey said it comes with putting her life on social media and couldn’t care less what they think.
“I just think ‘go away you daft s**ds,” she says, as she reveals her daughter is doing much better now she is out of the school system.
Five gypsy traditions
CHANTELLE Devonshire, a 22-year-old gypsy wife from Cambridge, told Fabulous the traditions that many travellers believe in.
NO MAY: Don’t wash, cut or buy: “In the month of May, some travellers believe that if you buy an outside brush, it means that you’re going to swipe one of your family members away, like they’re going to die.”
PAY RESPECTS: Wear black and ‘sit up’: “Travellers will dress in black for months out of respect when a close family member dies. We all ‘sit up’ when someone dies. It’s to show your respect to the person that died and to their loved ones.”
BURN IT: When an elderly traveller dies: “When some elderly travellers die, the family will take everything out of the trailer and they will burn the trailer. It’s out of respect – they wouldn’t want someone else living in their trailer.”
GET LUCKY: Touch wood: “Travellers believe magpies are bad luck. They also believe in touching wood. If you talk to a traveller, many of them will say ‘touch wood that doesn’t happen’. They think that if they touch wood they will have good luck.”
DON’T SAY IT: Banned words: “There’s certain words travellers don’t say. My husband won’t say ‘ferret’. Lots of travellers won’t say ‘devil’, they’ll say ‘the muller’ instead.”