Opinion
Beyoncé's pregnancy announcement brings back memories of growing up as a twin
February 8, 2017
Just as everyone knows that the sky is blue and that chocolate ice cream is far superior to vanilla ice cream, it is now common knowledge that Beyoncé is pregnant with twins.
I was one of those millions of fans who liked her announcement post on Instagram and then eagerly headed to her website to view her entire pregnancy shoot. The full shoot on her website was spectacular. The photos and GIFs were everything I hoped it would be and then some.
I was spellbound as I scrolled through each incredible picture of Beyoncé and her exposed stomach artfully posed against lush backdrops teeming with an abundance of flowers, juxtaposed against vivid primary colors and floating in ethereal underwater shots full of billowing fabric. I was mesmerized by the photographs, but I was also, strangely enough, genuinely happy for Beyoncé, too.
The feeling that came over me was the same reaction I get when a family member or a best friend shares their great news with me. And just to be clear, the closest I have ever gotten to Beyoncé is watching "Lemonade," the visual album, way too many times. She does not know I even exist, at all. I felt this sudden rush of happiness for Beyoncé, because as great as her twin pregnancy photos were, I know for a fact that her life with her twins is going to be even more magical.
I have this special insight into the impending future of Beyoncé’s life because on a cold night at exactly 8:35 p.m. on Nov. 21, I was born. Then, fifteen minutes later, my twin brother Erik was born. Apparently, the stretch of time between my birth and that of my brother’s felt like years, and yet I cannot remember those fifteen boring minutes that I spent all by myself, when I was totally twin-less for the only time in my life.
To explain what it feels like to be half of a pair of twins, I want you to think of your best friend in the entire world. Think of how much you love to spend time with them, all of the inside jokes you have, the memories and all of the pictures of the two of you together. Imagine if you never had to say goodbye to them. Imagine knowing that no matter what you said, what you fought about, or that no matter what happened between you two, they would never stop being your best friend. That is nearly what it is like to have a twin.
For Beyoncé, I hope she realizes the insane connection that her babies already have. I hope that like my twin and me, Beyoncé’s twin babies develop their own language and a way of communicating that does not require actually speaking to each other with words.
I hope that she raises them to understand how special it is that they get to be one half of a pair. I also do want to caution Beyoncé that she must always remember that they are two individuals, with distinct needs and preferences, so do not make their names rhyme!
I think that being a twin really is the best thing that could have ever happened to me, and I hope it will be the best thing to happen to Beyoncé and her family, too.
Lauren Simenson is a student at UW-River Falls.