After spending more than two hours, I was ready. Ready to meet some new guys and potential prom dates. I grabbed my keys, hopped in my car, and drove off with my twin sister in the passenger seat.

I was super excited to meet the boys and to finally meet someone who did not know me because they knew my sister. I thought, “This is going to be different. They are going to see the real side of me. My twin sister cannot get in the way.” Sounds like it would be a good time, right? But as time and time again would tell, being a twin causes a good time to turn into a lousy, miserable night.

We finally introduce ourselves to the guys, and I set my eyes on one of them. Tall. Dark hair that brings out the color of his bright blue eyes. Muscular to where when I look at him, I feel as if he could easily protect me from anything that could possibly come between us. Everything that is, except my twin sister. That is when the twin comparisons come alive.

Your sister has better eyebrows than you. Your sister has prettier eyes than you. Your sister can dance better than you can. Since she runs, that must mean she’s more athletic than you. Your sister is just more dateable than you are. You would think that it would have been different this time, but instead, it was more of the same, except this time it hurt much worse than in the past because this time, I was attracted to the person who was saying these comments.

I was used to coming up with some sarcastic comment to deflect the abasing remarks, but I was not used to putting on a fake face to divert the pain. For some odd reason, these off-color remarks were much more corrosive to my self-esteem than they had been in the past. I felt hurt and almost betrayed. I was used to the comparisons between myself and my sister; After all, we are twins. But, I was not used to the pain that the comments could bring and how to react to the hurt I felt at the moment. At that moment, I learned how to disguise my real emotions, to put a fake smile on my face, pretend those comments had no effect on me, and laugh it off. And I have to admit, I have gotten quite good at mastering what I want people to see and what I do not want them to see.

I am not saying that I do not love my sister. I love her to the ends of the earth. What I do not love is the way society has portrayed twins. If society had not been set on believing these comparisons to be true, then maybe boys would not say these hurtful comments. Society needs to stop focusing on comparing twins and instead acknowledge that twins are two different people. Maybe then will I be able to take my mask off, allowing others to see who I truly am beneath the mask.