Sisters force a doubletake

Identical twin sisters Anne Mcqueen and Susan Briggs are alike in almost every way: They have the same interests, the same hobbies and — since they were infants — they have dressed the same.

It started with their mother dressing them alike, and they decided to continue the practice.

“We just have always been very identical,” said Mcqueen, 84. “All through our childhood and adulthood, we have dressed alike.”

“We've always worn exactly the same thing,” echoed Briggs.

Whenever one shops for new clothes, they always buy two of everything.

The sisters — both of whom live in Salt Lake City, where they were born and raised — are often recognized around town. Strangers sometimes do doubletakes.

“They really react, and it just cheers people up when they see two people alike,” said Mcqueen, who was born one minute before Briggs.

The sisters said that whenever they are going somewhere together, they co-ordinate their outfits.

“It isn't to attract attention, we just like the same clothes,” said Mcqueen.

But there is definitely an element of fun.

“When we get together, we just laugh and laugh and laugh,” said Briggs.

Recently they've found a spotlight on social media. Mcqueen's grandson-in-law, Mikey Metcalfe, started sharing videos of them on Tiktok earlier this year, and the first post has more than 17 million views. He calls them “The Grandmas.”

In Mcqueen's home, there is a painting of the sisters as children, and they look similar to the Grady sisters featured in the 1980 horror film, The Shining. They ordered costumes online and dressed up as the Shining sisters last Halloween, even saying the iconic line from the movie, “Come and play with us.”

Metcalfe wrote on his Tiktok: “POV: You married into the fam with the original Shining twins.”

The Grandmas have been featured on several news sites, including British news agency SWNS.

“I don't think a lot of people have seen older twins that are best friends,” said Metcalfe, 22.

“We're always doing fun things,” said Briggs, who lives on her own. “It keeps us young.”

Few people can tell the twins apart. Their father, they said, could hardly distinguish between his daughters. The only notable physical difference, they said, is that Mcqueen has a little brown speck in her eye, while Briggs does not. But both like to confuse people.

“We were camp counsellors at

one time and none of the campers could ever tell who their counsellors were,” said Mcqueen.

The sisters are both retired health and physical education teachers; Mcqueen taught high school and Briggs taught junior high. Every year on April Fools' Day, they pulled a prank on their students.

“Susan would walk in and start teaching with me in the class,” said Mcqueen. “We'd be in the same outfits. The students would just scream. They couldn't believe it.”

The twins — who have another sister nine years younger — talk on the phone at least five times a day, and they get together several times a week. They are both cat lovers, hikers and they watch the same shows, including Survivor and The Voice.

The sisters said they seldom disagree, but when they do, “10 minutes later, we're good friends again,” said Briggs. “We never go anywhere without telling the other where we are. It was always that way.”

Mcqueen has four children, 16 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Briggs has four children and six grandchildren, all of whom live out of state. Having her sister's family around, she said, has been “wonderful.”

The sisters believe they have what they call “twin telepathy ” and often find themselves thinking and feeling the same things.

“We have the same brain,” said Briggs.

They said their main goal is to bring others joy. “The world is in such a terrible situation, and this has been bringing a little happiness,” said Mcqueen. “We hope we make a difference, just cheering some people up.”