Seeing Double: The Photographs of Maja Daniels

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N

o, that's not an illusion you're seeing.

Meet Monette and Mady Malroux: identical twin sisters living in Paris.

The fiery-haired duo has long been a source of fascination for Swedish photographer Maja Daniels, who documented moments from their daily routine in her recent photo collection, "Monette and Mady."

"I first saw them on the streets of Paris and I was instantly fascinated by their identical outfits and synchronized corporal language," she notes.

"Quirky and beautiful, they stood out from any crowd. As I couldn't quite believe my eyes, I remember thinking that they might not be real."

Daniels observed the ladies from afar for quite some time before she finally worked up the courage to approach them. The more time she spent documenting the sisters, the more intrigued she became.

"Neither Mady nor Monette have married or had children and they always eat the same kind of food in identical portions.
They do not just share a close relationship as sisters; as a couple they act, model and dance together and the city of Paris is their main stage.

If they ever go out dressed in different outfits, people stop and ask why they argue."

Though the photographs feature otherwise ordinary settings and situations the Malroux sisters create a surreal effect with their identical faces, matching, chic outfits and complimentary body language.

Daniels alternates between staged photos and natural ones, playing on the illusory quality of the sisters, while also attempting to paint an accurate portrayal of their day to day existence.

But "Monette and Mady" is not just concerned with being eerie, it is also making a statement about feminine beauty and the stigma surrounding the old.

By making the subject of her photos the aging female body, Daniels defies stereotypical notions of beauty.