A teacher in Malaysia never imagined that such a simple task would end up becoming a viral phenomenon. It all began when she received the official graduation photos of two identical twin brothers and needed to know which one was which so the photographer could print their names correctly.
Through WhatsApp, the teacher wrote to the mother of the boys, Hilmi and Hilman, and sent her both images. “Could you help me? Which one is Hilmi and which one is Hilman? The photographer needs to put the names below the photos”, she explained.
But the response surprised everyone.
“That’s a hard question. I’m going to ask my husband to look at them”, the woman replied with a laugh, admitting that not even she could confidently tell her own children apart in those photographs. The conversation was posted on social media and quickly began to be shared thousands of times.
Many users confessed that they spent several minutes trying unsuccessfully to spot some difference between the little ones. Other parents of twins said that when children wear the same uniform, have the same haircut, and maintain a similar expression, even the closest relatives can get confused when looking at a still photograph.
Experts explain that identical twins share virtually the same DNA and tend to have extremely similar facial features. However, those who live with them every day usually tell them apart by small details, such as a mole, a scar, the shape of their ears, their voice, the way they walk, or even their personality. In a still image, many of those clues disappear, making it much more difficult to distinguish them.
Finally, the family managed to correctly identify who appeared in each photograph so the school could label them. However, the amusing exchange had already gone around the world and left a scene that thousands of parents and teachers of twins could completely relate to.