A Bun in the Oven
Donna and Vince Aylmer got exciting news when they found out that they were expanding their family of five by one more member. Donna, along with her husband, made their way to their first checkup and ultrasound to hopefully have a look at their new baby.
A Bun In The Oven
Normal Nerves
The couple was excited but nervous at the same time when it came time for their appointment. However, they didn’t expect anything out of the ordinary, and they knew exactly what to expect. If only they what was coming their way.
Normal Nerves
Two Buns in the Oven
During their appointment, the Aylmers received some shocking news. They were informed that they weren’t expecting one healthy baby, but two! Although the news caught the couple off-guard, they were thrilled. They couldn’t wait to meet their two bundles of joy.
Two Buns In The Oven
Happy and Healthy
All the parents wanted to hear was that the babies were growing normally and were healthy. Even with the three other kids Donna and Vince had at home, they saw another two kids as double the blessings. The news was taken very well among the entire family.
Happy And Healthy
A Delivery of Confusion
January 16th, 1997 was the day Donna and Vince welcomed two healthy and beautiful babies into the world. However, along with everyone else, the midwife was met with confusion when they had a good look at the pair. Something was very unique about the pair.
A Delivery Of Confusion
Meet Lucy
Donna embraced the one half of the twins with her arm. She was painted with a white complexion and deep blue eyes to match. The ginger-haired baby was named Lucy. However, the appearance of Lucy’s twin was not what you would have expected.
Meet Lucy
Meet Maria
The other half of the twin was joined in Donna’s arms. The babies were a complete contrast from one another. Unlike Lucy, Maria was graced with a darker complexion, twinkling brown eyes, and darker hair to match when compared to the other half of her twin’s appearance.
Meet Maria
Like Most Twins
Donna dressed her girls up like most mothers would dress their set of twins. They were always seen wearing matching outfits. Although they both looked cute as a button, they were often met with confused looks from strangers when they were out in public.
Like Most Twins
Confusion Followed Them
This confusion was birthed with them and followed them throughout their lives. The reason? You would never know that they were each other’s twin. You wouldn’t even know they were related! They couldn’t be any more different from one another.
Confusion Followed Them
Different People
At the age of seven, the twins sat their mother down to tell her that they didn’t want to dress in the same clothes anymore. It was clear that they didn’t look alike, so they didn’t see why they should dress the same.
Different People
A Sense of Identity
While they were talking with their mom, they also disclosed that they didn’t feel like twins. That was a sad feeling for the mother to experience, but she understood where they were coming from. This was when the girls went on their own separate paths.
A Sense Of Identity
No Twin Tricks
The girls were placed in the same class in school. Although this would have been a problem for most twins, everyone could tell the girls apart. This stopped them from playing the usual tricks twins play like swapping names with one another.
No Twin Tricks
Torn Opinions
Maria and Lucy were happy to be seen as individuals, which is a feeling not many sets of twins get to experience, especially at the tender age of seven. However, they couldn’t benefit from the perks of being part of a twin.
Torn Opinions
Fire and Ice
The girls shared very different personalities. Maria was seen as the outgoing and confident type, while Lucy was extremely shy and tried to steer clear of strangers. This caused the twins not to be very close to one another when they were younger.
Fire And Ice
Things Change
Although they weren’t close as kids, they soon grew very close as they became older. Maria also said that Lucy started coming out of her shell a bit more as she got older. This, along with other factors, started making it easier for the two to bond.
Things Change
Perked Media Interest
The girls’ unusual story began to gain traction and receive interest in the media when they turned 18. This gave Lucy and Maria a platform to share their stories about growing up. That’s precisely what they did with Inside Edition.
Perked Media Interest
How the Girls Felt
The girls shared that they had specific attributes that they disliked about themselves. For Maria, it was her curly hair. She absolutely hated it, and it was the reason for many, many tears. In comparison, Lucy had more severe dislikes.
How The Girls Felt
Kids Are Cruel
Lucy was the only sibling with a pale complexion, and kids at school always teased her. She was told that she looked like a ghost, and even said that she was the adopted child in the family. This had a serious effect on Lucy.
Kids Are Cruel
Lucy’s Struggles
The bullying took a tremendous toll on Lucy’s self-image. She tried to reason with the kids at school and herself as to where her pale skin originated from. She came to the conclusion that she inherited her pale, English rose-like complexion from her grandmother.
Lucy’s Struggles
There Was More
If that wasn’t enough, Maria wasn’t the only one who didn’t like her curly hair. Lucy began straightening her hair as she became older. However, even the twins had different curls. Maria’s had curls that were more intense, and took on the appearance of ringlets.
There Was More
One In 500 Chance
During their pregnancy, the Aylmers created a set of biracial twins, and they didn’t even know it. That was to be expected as you can’t tell skin tone through means of an ultrasound. However, it’s still pretty extraordinary as the chances are one in 500.
One In 500 Chance
Unusual Is the Best Way to Put It
The Aylmers’ older children, Chynna, George, and Jordan, all have a dark complexion. However, none of their complexions are as dark as Maria and definitely darker compared to Lucy’s. The situation is definitely unusual and very uncommon, which led to many questions.
Unusual Is The Best Way To Put It
How Did This Occur?
Biracial twins are only possible through parents that have different races and ethnicities. Donna is biracial herself, being half Jamaican and half white, while Vince comes from Caucasian descent. That explains why they have three older children with a mixed skin tone.
How Did This Occur?
A Mystery
However, nothing prepared Donna and Vince for what they’d experience in the delivery room. It had appeared that Donna had given birth to two girls that were polar opposites, despite being twins. The girls’ situation completely went against everything known about twins. How was that possible?
A Mystery
A Mystery: Explained
Maria and Lucy were formed from two separate eggs while in the womb. Therefore, they are called non-identical twins. Because of this, they didn’t inherit identical genes as one another. That’s what caused the discrepancy in skin tone among the twins.
A Mystery: Explained
It’s Not Just Looks
Besides the contrast in their personalities and appearance, they also have their own sense of style. Lucy dresses edgier with piercings and dark makeup, while Maria goes for a more sophisticated look with a little bit of a boho chic twist.
It’s Not Just Looks
Their Life Paths
Along with their different senses of style, they both have very different career paths and ideologies on how they want to spend their lives. Maria is studying a law degree and is more practical, while Lucy is an art and design student and is more creative.
Their Life Paths
We Need Some Identification, Please
Some friends are still very skeptical about the whole situation. The twins say it’s very common for them to come across skeptics. They’ve been asked, by their friends, to produce their birth certificates to prove that they are indeed twins.
We Need Some Identification Please
They Have Each Other’s Backs
Although Maria and Lucy may not look the same, share the same interests, dress the same, or have similar personalities, they agree that they are always going to have each other’s backs. This is what brings both of the girls comfort.
They Have Each Others Backs
More Like Lucy and Maria
Another pair of biracial twins go by the names of Millie and Marcia Biggs. Unlike Maria and Lucy, this set of twins have very similar senses of manner and style. They even enjoy wearing the same hairstyles, and both have a passion for dance and gymnastics.
More Like Lucy And Maria
Even More
Jarani and Kalani Dean are seen as a symbol against racism. The set of twins have a black father and a white mother. As a result, Jarani has a darker complexion, while Kalani acquired fairer features. The mother of the pair believes that this phenomenon can spread awareness on how trivial skin color is.
Even More…
Not Expected
Joanne and Larry long thought about the appearance of their twins. They wondered who they would take after. Larry is black, and Joanne is white, so they long thought about their babies’ complexions. However, they never expected to receive one black baby and one white baby.
Not Expected
A Rare Set of Twins
Remee and Kian were born just one minute apart from parents who came from black fathers and white mothers. This gave the set of twins a mixed genetic makeup, which led to a very rare set of twins being created.
A Rare Set Of Twins
Complete Opposites
Fraternal twins, Daniel and James, have nothing in common other than the parents that created them. Daniel sports a fair complexion and is shy and straight. While his twin, James, is gay, black, and extremely outgoing. The boys couldn’t be any more different, even if they tried.
Complete Opposites
A Very Unique Pair
Dennis and Viviana are a very unique pair of twins. They were created with a wide variety of family genetics. Their parents are multiracial, and their ancestry hails from all across the world. The twins come from African, European, Hawaiian, Hispanic, and Chinese descent.
A Very Unique Pair
Different From the Family
Breana Cincotta was born into a family who didn’t share the same physical appearances as her. This wasn’t the case for her twin, which made Breana’s life very difficult. She was teased when she was young, and children often told her she had to choose between identifying as black or white.
Different From The Family
Identical Twins
Although it may not seem like it when based on appearances, Jasmine and Amelia are believed to be the first identical black and white twins born in the UK. Even though they are genetically identical, their parents can easily tell them apart from their different skin tones.
Identical Twins
Two Sets of Rare Twins
The Spooner family gave birth to twins that differed in skin tone, and then seven years later, it happened again. Scientific studies have shown that the more people marry outside of their gene pool, the more barriers between races are likely to break down.
Two Sets Of Rare Twins
Medical Marvels
This set of twins were seen as medical marvels when they were born as biracial. However, the parents state that they have received a tremendous amount of backlash and criticism from members of their very own community, which has been very disheartening.
Medical Marvels
The Friends Guessed It
As soon as Kyle and Hannah found out that they were having twins, their friends began joking around. They all said that one would come out darker and the other fairer, like their parents. The day of the birth came, and the friends were exactly right!
The Friends Guessed It
