Everyone knows that boy/girl twins can’t identical right? Wrong!

[Tincytot]

Here is my Friday night rant as a mum of twins teenagers who still gets asked if they are identical when the girl/boy twins are standing right in front of them, looking not one bit alike let alone identical. Plus they’re different sexes!

typical conversation-
“oh you have twins, what are they?”
”a boy and a girl”
“lovely, are they identical?”
”no they’re a boy and a girl”
”yeah but are they identical?”

🙄🙄

I’ve had that exact conversation so many times, I feel your pain!

They're probably not that interested and just hear the word "twins" and ask the first question that pops into their heads to be polite.

I don’t think people’s minds are on penises and vaginas when they ask the question. It’s just a ‘twin thing’ question to ask. Some of the brightest people I know have asked that question off the cuff – and yes, felt a bit silly when corrected. Again, it’s not that deep.

Exactly my point (as above).

My brother and sister are twins and tbh when they were kids if you put a wig on my brother he looked like my sister and when she had her hair up she would get mistaken for him. Now they’re older there’s more difference but she still won’t wear her hair up!

I’ve had people ask me if they’re identical when I say I have siblings who are boy girl twins.

They would still both be genetically male

My sister and I had this for years. Not so much now we are in our 50's but in our twenties and thirties a lot of people would ask if we are twins because we looked so alike, that was understandable. One of us would say "no Pyongyang is older by two years" and then...."OK but are you twins"

ffs.....they walk among us.

Yes. We have a boy / girl twins in the family.
They got asked this question A LOT up until mid 30s

At school my twin sister was a good head taller than me, a much bigger build, she was blond whilst I was dark, and our features were completely different. We were constantly asked if we were identical, so we used to shuffle round each other, and then say “ok, can you tell who is who??”

May have done -
Superfecundation - Wikipedia

Same - I was also asked this a few times. I think it's just one of those things people say without thinking, like getting in the back of a mini cab and saying 'Busy tonight?'

If you don’t have twins, or have any connection with twins, why would you know this? I’m not surprised people ask this.

There was a case on ‘The Gift’ (radio series about unexpected findings from genetic family history tracing) where a pair of twins found they had different fathers, which was pretty upsetting for them.

Never underestimate how stupid people are. I had two children who looked very alike but clearly 2 years apart. You'd think any fool could tell that one was 12 months and one was three...but multiple people thought they were twins?

People are idiots

Because it is completely and utterly obvious?

Uh, do you think any boy can be identical to a girl? Seriously? It doesn’t require knowing anything about twins.

Identical twin here. Had to respond to lots of stupid questions over the years.

We were recently at a party with friends who, tbf, are respectful and have never really asked us much at all.

But one women was there, who we barely know, but every time we see her she asks probing questions. We ended up sat round with everyone fielding personal questions from her, and she ended up calling us “statistical twins” repeatedly as twins don’t run in the family…

We’ve heard her say to our pals, when we were in ear shot, “How the HELL can you tell them apart?!”. Can’t wait for her to ask “What’s it like being a twin?” so we can answer “Normal! Tell us, what’s it like being a single? Were YOU conceived naturally or through IVF?”

Because of the meaning of the word ‘identical’. Most people know that it means the same in every way, no difference between them. I mean not just in the context of twins, but the definition of the word in general. It has a specific meaning. So if twins are ‘identical’ they must either both have a male reproductive system, or both have a female reproductive system. If they don’t then they can’t be described as identical.

I have identical twins and also got asked this multiple times by strangers...I just said I got a BOGOF....!

I agree. Also, if you take the knowledge of egg splitting away and put it down purely to the logic that a penis isnt identical to a vagina so people should be able to work it out, what about twins who do not look identical? My mum was a genetically identical twin and honestly I dont think my auntie is that similar looking! Same with my sisters best friends growing up and my friends when I was a teen. I think they all look like siblings but not necessarily identical. I would like to point out that I do know the difference btw, but Im simply saying that I can see the potential logic for those who dont!

That is so sweet

Do they have a secret twin lanagiage or is that a myth?

I had understood conjoined twins can also arise through the fusion of two fertilised eggs. So non identical conjoined twins!

My twin girls came to me one day soon after starting school and said quite seriously Did I know that some people only have one baby?

That is very strange. Unless you work for the Twins Trust. Are they mostly youngish? I think there are more twins under 30 because of fertility treatments.