Athena, Arianna & Andrea

New York, New York

Age: 26

The traditional, twin-sister dynamic is a complex and nuanced relationship fraught with power dynamics, issues of control, and certainly plenty of emotions. But what happens when you have three of nearly the exact same person? Meet the Levesque sisters, three identical triplets who all live together in a three-bedroom apartment in Astoria, New York. Their parents dressed them alike until first grade, they have multiple matching tattoos, and if one changes their hair style, all three must follow. They share their pets, their clothing, they even have a business together. Beyond spending most waking moments together, they are working out, cooking, and spending time with their shared friends.

The ladies choose to live together because they feel that when they are together, they are stronger, and it simply, “just fits.”  The girls believe that their mother is jealous of their relationship. They tend to agree with one another by default and rarely side with their mother. If they need advice or emotional support, they choose each other, not their parents. They prioritize each other over anyone else in their lives: family, significant others and their friends.

As models and fashionistas, the girls have developed their own clothing line called, “Levesque” which they hope to bring to the next level. Arianna is the self-described fashion guru, Andrea is the photographer and Athena is the outgoing, carefree sister who jumps easily from job to job.

Although they are very close and consider themselves all each-other’s best friends, they do not always get along. Whereas in a typical two-person relationship, sisters would normally agree or disagree. Here, the girls have to all agree, or all disagree, and when it’s two against one, it has to go to a vote. Often times ending in conflict. These girls are not shy about expressing their feelings in public, and most people are shocked to witness their fights. Without hesitation, they’ll charge into heated arguments, shouting over one another until they find peace. It’s love and rainbows one minute, then an all-out brawl, and then back to best-friends.

They have invested their entire lives into their brand of “triplet-dom.” Not only does their real-life dynamic function based on the power of threes, they have marketed themselves, their business, their entire beings as, “the triplets.” Therefore, having an identity and life as an individual becomes blurry and at odds with their group dynamic. They have put themselves into a precarious position because they have unknowingly forced themselves to rely on one another, staking their career and sense of identity into the conceit of triplets. If someone or something threatens their unit of three, it could mean disaster both personally and professionally.

Arianna has what she believes to be a serious boyfriend, Brian, of nearly two years. She loves him and wants that relationship to grow and evolve. What Arianna may not realize is that Brian is feeling intimidated by the three of them, and is still getting used to the idea of triplets and navigating their complicated relationship. Additionally, if Arianna even breathes the word, “marriage,” Athena gets irrationally upset. If pressed, Athena believes that she’s the, “useless” sister. She’s the one who has never been able to hold a steady job, a romantic relationship, and has no marketable skills. She considers her only good attribute a brash and witty sense of humor. Her feelings of inadequacy make her all the more reliant on her sisters, not only for emotional support but also for her career. Without her sister’s talents, she has nothing to contribute to their fledgling business. She is afraid that she’ll be alone and without a job and nowhere to turn.

So, for the time being the girls are living in their functional, dysfunction, but only time will tell how long it can last. They love and need each other in such a deeply enmeshed way, does living and working together, really do more good than harm?