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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
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Rebecca Shaw

Growing up surrounded by boys, I’m fascinated – and a bit scared – by the dynamic between sisters

Julia Stiles and Larissa Oleynik in 10 Things I Hate About You
‘Sisters, I learned, weren’t automatically close or similar – they could snipe at each other all the time, like Kat and Bianca from 10 Things I Hate About You (pictured)’. Photograph: Everett Collection Inc/Alamy

One thing about living this crazy little thing we call life is that even though you might be a haggard lesbian in her 40s, you can still learn things about yourself. I was recently having a conversation with friends about the family dynamics of people we’ve dated, and all of a sudden a very clear pattern emerged that I’d never noticed before. Every single person I have ever dated, casually or seriously, has had one sister and no other siblings.

Even though I’m aware this could sound like some strange special interest of mine, it’s not deliberate. I’ve actually never narrowed down prospective romantic interests based on siblings, but I did find this sister realisation notable. Is there something about me that queer people with sisters are attracted to? Is there something about having one sister that informs the kind of personalities I am drawn to? Did our separate placements in our families become part of our identity, as some people claim can happen, causing us to be compatible?

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