TURNING TWINS INTO FREAKS.

TURNING TWINS INTO FREAKS. The article I linked to in the last post tells the story of the twins that Diane Arbus put into her collection of “freaks.” They were nice girls attending a party in dresses their mother had made for them. The article notes that the famous photo shows traces of the chocolate cake they had just eaten on their lips. The article portrays the twins as nice girls and as nice adults. They are now married and “live conventional lives” —“the least creepy people you’ll ever know.” They are amused by the famous photo from their childhood. The article points out that Arbus, as an artist, shaped the appearance of her subjects: “One day you’re minding your business, the next day you’re immortalized in perpetuity beside ‘Nudist lady with swan sunglasses, Pa. 1965,’ or ‘Transvestite at a drag ball, N.Y.C. 1970.'” In other words, the twins were normal people whom the artist turned into “freaks”—unless, of course, there is something inherently freakish about twins.