Tuesday, June 11, 2013

At Least Say It Behind My Back


People seem to have a need to compare and label twins. They always ask things like, "Who is the dominant one?" and, "Which one's the evil twin?" Twins are always getting stacked up against each other.

Unfortunately, my twin sister and I were naturally prone to these kinds of comparisons. Amy has always been more active and social, while I was definitely more cerebral. By the time we reached middle school, and with a little help from our peers, we fell into the categories of "the smart one" and "the pretty one."

Smarty Pants and Barbie Doll, a couple years back
One night back in college, some friends and I were discussing people's need to compartmentalize the world in this way. I mentioned the sort of socially imposed self-fulfilling prophecies that my sister and I had experienced.

And then it became painfully clear that the point of that conversation went right over one guy's head when he said, "Well Marie, obviously you know your sister is a lot prettier than you." And then it got really quiet and uncomfortable for a little while.

Oh, and did I forget to mention that I was currently dating that guy? Because, yeah, I was. Well, not for much longer after that.


4 comments:

Unknown said...

I feel like I remember this story and know who you're talking about. What a dumbass comment. I think you're both beautiful. :)

Unknown said...

Yeah, you probably do.

It's like asking a fat lady when she's due. There are some things you just don't say. (Especially if you're hoping to get some later that night!)

Unknown said...

1. My work has finally unblocked your blog!!!
2. If it makes you feel better - I get asked which twin is my favorite all the time... seriously people?

Unknown said...

Welcome back!
So which one IS your favorite?