FAQ that people usually ask twins can come from physical, emotional, or behavioral differences, as well as differences in attitude. Just to be clear, this isn’t an official statement, definition, or anything like that. I’m talking about the questions people tend to ask twins from my own perspective and experience, since I have an identical twin. And please ignore any slightly scientific-sounding lines that might read like official data. 

There are many questions people tend to ask twins, such as:

Who’s the older one?
How can we tell you apart?
Do you like to dress alike?
Have you ever experienced “twin telepathy”?
What is it like to be a twin?
Do you argue?
Do you get mad when people mix you up?
Who does better in school?
Who’s the stricter one?
Have you ever fooled someone?...

Well, I’d like to start by addressing two of those questions from an actual twin’s perspective. I’ve noticed a whole range of opinions about them floating around the internet. So, in the spirit of everyone generously sharing their takes, I’ll gladly jump on that trend and happily comment on it again and again, thank you very much. 

As my former teacher used to say: “If we all threw our minds down a hill, each of us would chase after our own.” So, let’s roll mine down first!

“Do you like to dress alike?”

Yes and no, it depends. When we were little, we actually liked it, and most of our clothes were the same. But I don’t really count that era, because our mom was the stylist-in-charge back then. I even used to think that twins had to dress alike simply because they looked alike which, we can all agree, is pretty dumb. But hey, that’s a child’s brain at work. Don’t judge.

Now that we’re 20, we like coordinating our outfits and having a little fun with colors. We’re not fashion maniacs, and we definitely don’t own a whole wagon of clothes. What matters to us is looking our best when we go to those rare events where you really have to bring your A-game in the looks department, hahaaa. Anyway, on a normal day, when we’re just being casual, we try to dress as differently as possible, you know, in hopes that not too many people will stare at us like we’re a museum exhibit. 

I’ve noticed a slightly irritating pattern in the community’s opinions. Some people really dislike when twins dress alike (I mean teen twins and older — 20, 30 and up) because, apparently, it’s “childish” and “not appropriate for two individuals” (yes, that thrilling topic again). But what they somehow fail to notice is that more than half of people walk around wearing the exact same shoes, jackets, bags… entire identical outfits , all thanks to chasing trends and wanting that specific piece everyone else already has. 

So let me get this straight: it’s perfectly fine when everyone else dresses the same, but when twins do it, suddenly our individuality is in danger? Sure. Makes perfect sense. 

I’m not saying twins should dress alike or that it has any deep meaning to it, but it is pretty fun when we decide to do it from time to time. There’s also a very real advantage in having a twin who’s always trying on new clothes while the other one just stands there evaluating the whole process (I’m usually the second one, the silent observer who nods from the side, praying it will somehow make her choose faster).

“Who’s the older one?” 

(She! — Hahaaa! My usual answer to that question.)

The funny thing is, this is sometimes the only question strangers ask us. It proudly sits in the top 3 FAQ to twins, probably because it’s a quick, entertaining little fact about us that can kick off a small conversation. For us, though, it means absolutely nothing in the sense of “who listens to whom,” because honestly, it’s really not a big deal.

It’s definitely useful when it comes to those choosing-or-deciding mind-storms that can drag on for all eternity and start looking like some kind of unexplained hypnosis for no meaningful reason whatsoever. Fortunately, that’s not really our case (and yes, I’m talking about the choosing part, because the second half of that sentence is, unfortunately, only partly untrue).

I do wonder what the situation is with other sets of twins. Do they follow that whole “older sibling” rule, or do they ignore it the way we do? There’s not much to say about it anyway — a two-minute age gap is basically nothing.

Our mom had a C-section, so the time gap between my sister and me is completely artificial, hehee. But that was our grand “wombo-finish”, specially reserved for us, and that’s that! An ending and a beginning at the exact same time — wow, pretty stressful, but who cares when we all just go right back to sleep after such a dramatic transition. 

Let’s wrap it up here (at least for now)

I’ve only touched on two FAQ so far, and I’ll continue in the same fashion after giving you a little break from my oh-so-important opinions that apparently no one cares about (thumbs up). If you’re not interested in what I have to say about the other FAQ, well… you can always check out my other blogs on the same topic :P.