When I was a kid, I used to think how amazing it would be to have a twin. For me, it seemed so fun and truly magical, especially after seeing the series with Mary-Kate and Ashley.
Some years ago, researchers in Australia did a study that revealed that there’s about a one in 135 chance that a pair of complete doppelgängers exist somewhere in the world, yet the probability of actually meeting someone who looks identical to you is only one in 1 trillion. And yet, somehow, TikToker Kez Sexton got lucky with this.
More info: @kezsexton
Kez Sexton was out on a casual shopping day when she suddenly met Erik Hald – a twin version of her
@kezsexton no way. @ErikHald ♬ original sound – kez
Kez Sexton was out shopping when suddenly she spotted someone across the store that looked surprisingly familiar. She turned on the camera and started documenting this strange encounter.
“There’s a guy in here that looks just like me,” Kez shared in the video. “I’m talking hair, walk – do I go say hi? I’m, like, actually freaking out,” she added.
Barely containing a burst of emotions, Kez decided to go closer and approach the person who looked just like her. It turned out that the stranger was Danish influencer Erik Hald.
“Hi. I just want to say I love your hair,” the woman started the conversation. “I don’t know if it’s crazy, but I feel like we look the same,” she added.
It took just a second for Erik to realize that it was a real doppelgänger right in front of him.
“You’re my actual twin,” he said, putting one hand over his mouth in shock. “Oh my god, you’re like the lesbian version of me,” Erik said, still in disbelief.
“You’re like the twink version of me!” Kez said back, later sharing with her followers on social media more videos about this unique life-changing experience that very quickly transformed into a very beautiful friendship.
Both TikTokers made several videos showing people how similar they look
Interestingly enough, some studies suggest that doppelgängers have more in common than meets the eye.
Canadian photographer François Brunelle, in collaboration with scientists since 1999, has been traveling around the world capturing portraits of strangers who look nearly identical to one another. The project was called “I’m not a look-alike!”
32 pairs of Brunelle’s models had to answer questions about their lifestyles and give samples of their DNA. The researchers then found out that 9 of the 16 shared many common genetic variations better known as single nucleotide polymorphisms. It is important to notice that in terms of their lifestyles, the doppelgängers were also more likely to have similar weight, height, smoking history, and education levels. Yet, besides all the similarities, they had very different microbiomes and different epigenomes.
While the mythology of ‘spirit doubles’ can be traced back thousands of years, the term ‘doppelgänger’ was first introduced by German author Jean Paul in his 1796 novel ‘Siebenkäs’ and it means ‘ghostly double.’ Doppelgängers were usually associated with bad luck, illness, danger and even death, and it was strongly believed that people should avoid interacting with them at any cost.
With a bit more than 8 billion people on the planet, Kez Sexton happened to be at the right place at the right time to meet the other version of her.
While most of us can only dream about it, Kez Sexton and Erik Hald are not only happy about the fact that they got to meet each other but also that this unforgettable moment marks a new beautiful friendship.
People on the internet couldn’t contain their amazement at such an incredible encounter
