If you’re a twin, you know all about the stereotypes and questions people bring up when they find out. First, they ask if you’re fraternal or identical, then the question about how close together you two were born and so on. After all the simple orientation-like questions, they want to know the hard-hitting ones like “so, you two can read each other’s minds, right? And feel each other’s pain?” Hopefully I don’t disappoint anyone by saying this, but no, we can’t read each other’s minds or feel each other’s pain. I mean, it would be pretty cool if we could, but can you read your best friend’s mind or feel their pain? In some capacity, my twin and I can get a sense of what the other person is thinking about, but we can’t read each other’s mind. It goes the same way for pain; I can get a sense of my twin’s physical pain, but I can’t actually feel it.
Being a twin is a blessing. I mean, you grow up and live your life with your best friend always by your side (who wouldn’t want that?!), but the stereotypes are kind of silly. One stereotype that I’ve heard over and over again is that twins should act and dress alike. From my experience, this is not common. My twin and I are best friends, but we are still two different people with two different identities and passions. Of course, we have some common interests like playing soccer and hockey, but that’s just because we grew up together and were introduced to most of the same sports at the same time. In terms of similar clothes, my twin and I have completely different styles. This is just one stereotype that groups twins together and makes us feel like we have to act and dress alike. Obviously this is an innocent stereotype that’s just been fed by media and movies throughout the years, but for younger twins who are growing up and trying to figure out their own lives, it can cause some confusion and stress.
Another stereotype/question that makes me laugh is: “can your parents tell you apart?” This one is just downright self-explanatory. I mean, do your parents confuse you and your siblings? I understand why people ask the question, because we look similar, and it might be difficult to differentiate between us at first, but just like I mentioned above, my twin and I have differences in our personalities and hobbies. Our parents can tell the difference between us because they raised us and were able to figure out the differences in our personalities as we grew up.
All in all, if you come across a twin, I recommend not automatically jumping into questions about their life. I guarantee they’ve heard all your questions before. There are other twin stereotypes that honestly don’t bother me much anymore, and with that being said, I also understand when people are interested in learning more about me after I reveal that I’m a twin. I just wish that the media would stop portraying twins as completely identical, because in reality you may come across some twins that differ tremendously. At the end of the day, twins are amazing, but they’re also individuals with their own feelings and personalities.