# Family resemblance... changing through the years?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-resemblance-changing-through-the-years/386817>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [January 5, 2007, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-resemblance-changing-through-the-years/386817 "2007-01-05T14:48:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-resemblance-changing-through-the-years/386817/21 "2007-01-06T11:56:54Z")

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[QUOTE=Missy2U]  
I don’t look like anyone. Other than Julian Lennon (and the person who told me that I no longer speak to). Since I’m adopted, I don’t look like anyone in my family, which makes it odd when people see a picture of my mom and say I look like her. I think the people who say that are most likely high, though. Maybe I developed the resemblance over the years just living with her? :rolleyes:  
[/QUOTE]

You know, I’ve noticed that on other adoptees and with married couples as well. I think a lot of your “overall appearance” can be attributed to environment. The food you eat, even little identifying habits like a walk or how you brush your hair out of your eyes can be subconsciously learned and can make you appear \*in a general way \* to look like someone you’re not related to.

The weirdest thing…my ex had children with (at least) three different women. When we got all the kids together (who weren’t raised near each other) you’d swear they were all from the same mother. I always saw equal parts of me and him in Kid Kalhoun, but when you see them all together like that, it’s like I had no genetic input to the kid at all!

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**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-resemblance-changing-through-the-years/386817/22 "2007-01-06T13:56:06Z")

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When we were kids, my brother looked 100% like our father’s family, and I looked 100% like our mother’s family. Now, several decades later, we look very much like each other, but unlike anyone else in the family.

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