In the grand tradition of the Stratford sisters from “Ten Things I Hate About You” and the Morgendorfs from “Daria,” I — the aloof, intellectual older sister — have a younger sister who is undoubtedly much cooler than me in all possible ways. There was never a time (not in middle school, not in high school and not now in college) when that wasn’t true. If you’re not the cool sister, then you probably relate to these things (and if you are the cool sister, then you can chuckle along).
1. You end up being her personal photographer…
If you have a sister who’s cooler than you, you’re probably her personal photographer whenever you go out, and since you’re her sister, that means she can basically blackmail you into doing her bidding. This means getting down on your knees to get that perfect angle, climbing up on benches and then, having to retake everything again because the angle was slightly off.
2. But that also means you get some killer pics when you want.
A few scraped knees are totally worth the cool Instagram pictures that your Cool Sister will take for you though. She knows just how to pose, and if you lay belly-flat on the sand to get a good beach pic of her, she’ll return the favor — or at least guide you into taking a better picture than you could do on your own.
3. Everyone knows you because of her.
If you’re older, it wasn’t always this way at first. Her teachers would know her because of you. Your friends would see her and ask if she was related to you. But as you grow older, you start getting people coming up to you and asking if you’re related to your sister. If you’re the less popular, less cool sister, then you’re familiar with the routine of being approached by near-strangers in public and then texting your sister afterwards to ask who that was. Sometimes, people can’t believe that you could possibly be related to her — but you just smile and enjoy the bit of secondhand popularity (or totally embarrass your sister).
4. You go to her for style tips.
You might admit this right away, or you might not go to her until you absolutely need to, but your sister is probably way more effortlessly fashionable than you are. Not that you can’t put together a good look when you try, but it seems that everything your sister touches turns to fashion gold. Though she might make fun of your original fashion choice, you know that, in the end, she’s going to help you put together a look that you never could — and give you the confidence to wear it.
5. And for party info…
Your cool sister always has something do on the weekend. You? Not so much. Not because you can’t find anything (most of the time), but mostly because you’re totally comfortable sitting at home with a bottle of wine and Netflix. Your sister always has cute Snapchats and Instagram pics with friends on either side of her. One day, she’s going to invite you out too, and even if you’d rather just sit back and chill, you should take advantage of the fact that your sister knows the best places to go.
6. Sometimes you guys don’t get along.
It’s inevitable. Having different personalities will cause a clash. Having different personalities and living under the same roof for almost all your lives and also being compared by family, friends and strangers will definitely cause a clash. You guys might try to one-up one another. You might think she’s shallow; she might think you’re lame. You might have big blow-ups, or you might get into little squabbles.
7. In the end, you always have each other’s backs.
It is your differences that make you stronger. Between the two of you, you are an unstoppable duo. You love each other, and if someone messes with one of you, they mess with both of you. There’s nothing that gets between the two of you.
In the end, no one knows you better than your sister — even if she is cooler than you!
Cover photo courtesy of Petrana Radulovic.