There are many stereotypes in our society regarding twins. Twins are often viewed as the exact same person; However, that is not the case as twins are totally different people with separate personalities. There are two types of twins: identical and fraternal. Identical twins look alike and fraternal twins don’t. Identical twins share almost all their DNA and fraternal twins share about half.
Twins are regularly seen as the same person and are told they should act the same and wear the same clothes. Some twins may conform to that stereotype; however, most do not. Specifically in school, people often assume that twins have the same friends, hobbies and do the same sport.
“Some stereotypes about being a twin may include people believing that we should dress and act the same way. Everyone expects us to have the same identity. People usually also think that we are best friends and have the same friend groups,” Fraternal twin DeAnna Pinto said.
Twins are also compared to each other almost all the time, whether it is by teachers or parents; this can be very detrimental to their self-esteem. It’s already stressful when you aren’t doing well in school compared to your sibling, but it’s worse when it’s your twin. Grades vary person to person, and for twins it’s the same thing.
“I think it is hard being a twin because you often get compared to each other and it can be really annoying. I always feel like I have to be just as good as my twin,” Pinto said.
Another big issue is how the media portrays twins. Pop-culture often shows twins dressing the same and acting the same. Movies like “The Shining,” “Parent Trap” and “It Takes Two,” show twins dressing the same and having the exact same mannerisms. This is really harmful for twins who do not conform to these stereotypes because it creates a general assumption by society that they all act the same. Instead, pop-culture and the media should portray twins in a more realistic light to try and overturn these stereotypes.
“I don’t think the media portrays twins accurately because many people assume that all twins get along and are the same in every way. However, that is not true.” WHS twin Allie Ma said.
Another large aspect to being a twin, is that it is extremely difficult dealing with people mixing up your names. Identical twins look alike which makes it hard to differentiate between each other. Twins have to often correct others which can be very annoying. Most fraternal twins don’t have to deal with this problem. However they still have to handle having similar looks and constantly being compared.
“When people mix us up it usually is just a common mistake, since most of the people know us and it rarely happens. If people usually mix us up or can’t tell us apart, they usually do realize their own mistake themselves.” Ma said.
Having a twin is one of luckiest gifts; it gives you a built-in best friend and a person that is always by your side. However, being a twin also comes with its difficulties. People always mistake twins for each other and often make assumptions about them. The best way to avoid these stereotypes is to see twins as individual people. It’s important to focus on their similarities but don’t forget to highlight their differences too.
