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| Peya ( left ) and Pena ( right ) Brock |
Anyone with two eyes can see that these women are absolutely stunning. Not only that, they are twins. There are so many questions that get thrown at you when you are a twin ( NOT ME ). And it was those questions that sparked my curiosity. What is it like growing up as a twin, in a mixed race family?
Wanted to get deeper than what we see. What are the challenges, perks, advantages and joys?
ALL OF IT.
“Peya and I are the youngest in our family of 6. Growing up mixed race and as twins has truly shaped our identities and our daily lived experiences. We’ve grown up with two different races and have learnt that the two can live side by side, if not unified and our differences should be celebrated by one another. “
“On a more personal level, one of us came out with more “white” features and the other with more “black” features, most distinguishable by our different hair textures. Universal standards of beauty did impact our childhood in the sense that my straight hair was praised over Peya’s curly afro. I remember on some weekends Peya would have to get her hair relaxed or braided and kids would still tell me how great my hair was for a girl of colour.
As a teenager Peya made the decision to take a pair of scissors and cut off her chemically damaged hair and grow out her hair naturally. She has never been more beautiful to me and her acceptance of her beauty has made her and many women of colour unapologetically proud.”
“It’s interesting that people can tell we must be somehow related but they never suspect that we are twins (although that changed in the last year where we get asked by strangers if we are twins). Thankfully not everyone reacts this way when they find out but at times we have had to sit through a list of comparisons of who gives off what impressions such as who seems more shy and who seems more outgoing, who is thinner and who is thicker, and even at times who is more beautiful.’
“A lifetime of such comparisons can give twins a complex about themselves and one another, and I have seen it take over the relationship of other twins, but our differences make us proud now. We could not picture ourselves any other way. We wanted this photo shoot to capture our love and unison, but at the same to highlight that we are unique individuals in our own rights. Above all we wanted this photo shoot to scream “we are different but equal in our eyes”. ”
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