AITA for “tricking” my copycat sister to cut her hair?

The user has a younger sister who frequently copies everything the user does, from dressing to hobbies. After posting a picture of herself wearing a wig, the user lied to her sister, claiming that she had cut her hair. The sister then followed suit and cut her own hair in the same style, only to later realize it was a joke.

The user feels conflicted, as they are glad their sister can’t copy their hairstyle anymore but also feels sorry for her. Their parents think it was a bad joke and have suggested the user cut their hair to make it up to the sister.

‘ AITA for “tricking” my copycat sister to cut her hair?’

I have a younger sister who looks exactly like me. I am 19 and she is 16, but people have been mistakening us as twins for some time because of how close we resemble each other. We have same height, same skin tone, similar voice even. She also has a habit of being a copycat, from way of dressing to hobbies, even piercings.

I know, its cute if you look it from the outside, sisters dressing and looking so alike that they are spitting images of each other. Honestly though, it’s annoying and creeps me out sometimes, like yeah, we are quite close too but why does she always happen to pick up everything I pick up??

I have been asking her to stop that, but she always insist that she really just finds it suiting her liking that she just had to try it herself by getting similar, if not identical things that I have. One afternoon I was tidying up some costumes in my college showroom and found a rather cute brown and pink wig, looks like mushroom.

I put it on, think it looks rather funny so I snapped a picture of it and posted in my Instagram. I received a text from my sister asking if I really cut my hair(I did not mention it was a wig). The AH part is – while I somewhat have a feeling that she MIGHT copy that too, I lied and replied yes, I want a change of style.

I went home when weekends came and lo and behold – my sister emerged with the same silly brown and pink bob cut, except this one is her permanent hair. She was very surprised that I arrived with my hair still long, then realized that I lied to her.

She was furious that she had to cut that silly hairstyle because she thought I had it, but truth be told, I never asked her to. She should have seen it in my picture that that hairstyle look super silly and yet she still tried to cut her hair that way.

Our parents think that it was a really bad joke and wanted me to cut my hair too to make it up to her(I wonder why did they not stop her in the first place). While I feel sorry for her, I am somewhat glad that at least she won’t be able to copy my hairstyle now with her hair so short so I am keeping my hair long.

These are the responses from Reddit users:

subparjuggler −  NTA. Not your fault if she did it, especially if she claims she isn’t copying you and it is just “coincidence”. Your parents should know better than to say you should cut your hair.

[Reddit User] −  Your parents expected you to cut your hair to be **fair**? That’s weird. Sure, your lie was a bit of an AH move, but at some point your sister needs to develop her own sense of style. NTA.

[Reddit User] −  NTA. You caught her red handed. She literally became angry because she couldn’t have your identity anymore. Might be worth discussing therapy for her with your parents though.

sqitten −  NTA After all, she only copies your ideas because she honestly feels they suit her. You gave her an idea, that is all. She claimed to like it. Your parents are encouraging very bad behavior by pressuring you.

Lucetti −  NTA Your parents: IF YOUR SISTER JUMPED OFF A BRIDGE, WOULD YOU DO IT TOO? Your sister, voice fading as she plummets into the abyss: “What was that? All I heard was my sister jumped off a bridge”

fuckitaaaaaaaa −  Your parents are the biggest assholes to ask you to cut your hair too. I think you are nta and nor is your sister for copying you. But your sister is an a**hole for not taking responsibility of her own actions, as you clearly didn’t ask her to do it.

mochaluvr1 −  NTA. It sounds extreme, but I really think OP is dealing with some weird family dynamics. Our parents think that it was a really bad joke and wanted me to cut my hair too to to make it up to her(I wonder why did they not stop her in the first place)

Parent’s are TA for either enabling or encouraging little sisters behavior. It’s one thing to look up to your older siblings, it’s another to adopt their physical persoa ALL OF THE TIME.

OP- someone else commented here you may want to take this to therapy. I agree. This is creepy, and you know it. Get a professional perspective. Some distance between the two of you may be a good idea as well.

fuzzyp1nkd3ath −  ESH a small bit. Your sister is copying you, very likely, because she looks up to you and admires you. I understand why that’s annoying but girl…c’mon. You knew she would cut her hair. You knew exactly what she would do and please don’t pretend otherwise.

And that was a s**tty thing to do when you knew what the result would likely be. You took a very immature path when you could have just said “it’s a wig”. Now, that’s not to say her cutting her hair was a brilliant idea. If she didn’t like it herself, she shouldn’t have cut it. She’s 16 and really needs to make her own decisions. But she doesn’t.

While she may look up to you, she’s old enough to understand that she shouldn’t blindly copy people. She’s also being immature for a 16 year old. Your parents need to help her be an individual, not ask you to cut your hair too. That doesn’t really prove much. And excuse me but that’s f**king stupid.

Why haven’t you sat down and talked to her? Not “omg you’re so annoying, why do you do this???” But an actual conversation like she’s a human with feelings? Because either you or your parents should be sitting down with your sister and helping her be an individual and help her understand that she doesn’t need to do as you do to look up to you or be like you.

I mean, that’s what non-assholes would do. Talk about it and help each other.. Y’all need to grow up.

TeamChaos17 −  NTA Your parents seem to be actively complicit in this copycat behavior. Have you ever brought that up with them? Either way, your sister is the one who decided that it was more important to look like you even after you’d asked her to knock it off than to worry that her head looks like a mushroom.

rhinosaur-cone −  NTA – that’s hilarious! Maybe your sister will think twice before copying you again… They’ve got to learn somehow!