# Mary Kate and Ashley Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 27, 2003, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-kate-and-ashley-question/198021 "2003-08-27T17:38:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sirkle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@sirkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sirkle)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-kate-and-ashley-question/198021/1 "2003-08-27T17:38:25Z")
So, I have recently become fascinated w/ those adorable twins known as Mary Kate and Ashley. And I realized to my horror, I can’t tell them apart!!! So, can someone please tell me which one is Ashley and wich one is Mary Kate, and how do I tell them apart? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-kate-and-ashley-question/198021/2 "2003-08-27T17:42:12Z")
Ashley is the annoying one. Wait a sec… ---
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Bruce\_Daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Daddy)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-kate-and-ashley-question/198021/3 "2003-08-27T17:46:47Z")
The one on the left is Mary Kate. ---
**Author:** ![Balle\_M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/13edae/32.png) [@Balle\_M](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balle_M)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-kate-and-ashley-question/198021/4 "2003-08-27T17:48:34Z")
Ashley is the one who can’t act. Mary Kate is the one who REALLY can’t act. ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-kate-and-ashley-question/198021/5 "2003-08-27T17:48:57Z")
Mary Kate has all the talent, Ashley is just dragging her down! Damn you, Ashley!! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-kate-and-ashley-question/198021/6 "2003-08-27T18:05:10Z")
Why are you so curious, **sirkle**? You don’t seem the type to be renting these videos, unless you’re using them for nefarious purposes. ---
**Author:** ![teemingONE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@teemingONE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teemingONE)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-kate-and-ashley-question/198021/7 "2003-08-27T18:15:34Z")
Ashley has a more feminine face. Mary Kate’s face is a little longer. ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-kate-and-ashley-question/198021/8 "2003-08-27T18:17:41Z")
Mary Kate is the one who looks like she’s enjoying herself. Ashley is the one that’s destined for a life of drugs, porn and minor robbery and assault charges. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-kate-and-ashley-question/198021/9 "2003-08-27T18:37:51Z")
What difference does it make? * * * How is Rap like Porn? Both are better with the sound turned off. ---
**Author:** ![j.c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@j.c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j.c)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-kate-and-ashley-question/198021/10 "2003-08-27T22:23:22Z")
Mary Kate will drink the good Scotch, but Ashley will leave the back gate open and then deny it when you dog gets out. ---
**Author:** ![Daniel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Daniel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daniel)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-kate-and-ashley-question/198021/11 "2003-08-27T23:45:27Z")
All kidding aside, Ashley has noticably better acting talent than Mary-Kate. Part of it, I suppose, is that Ashley is the mastermind behind the whole brand name thing, and simply has more enthusiasm for it (I read that part in an article somewhere after noticing the talent-level-difference on my own). If that’s too difficult, try this: Ashley goes for a more bubblegum image, whereas Mary-Kate’s image is more tomboy. In magazines, Ashley will be wearing a pink dress, whereas Mary-Kate will be wearing jeans. It’s part of the image they go for. Though they’re fraternal twins, they still look very much alike, so it’s their “characters” you have to pay attention to. ---
**Author:** ![sirkle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@sirkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sirkle)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2003, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-kate-and-ashley-question/198021/12 "2003-08-28T03:59:17Z")
well, originally it was just something that I was sorta curious about, I mean they were just on the cover of rolling stone, and I thought “Who is who here?” Anyway, I work at the info desk at a university, so, have a lot of interaction with people, and probably asked fifty people if they could tell Mary Kate and Ashley apart, and nobody could. So, it just made me realize, without one, the other one is useless. These are the kind of things a bored college male ponders while sitting at work for 8 hours with nothing better to do. 😉 Besides, I wanted to make sure I was screaming the right name in my fantasies…they are 18 now… j/k ---
**Author:** ![Duderdude2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Duderdude2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duderdude2)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2003, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-kate-and-ashley-question/198021/13 "2003-08-28T04:40:09Z")
They are 18? I thought we had a few months more to go…Hmm… ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2003, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-kate-and-ashley-question/198021/14 "2003-08-28T04:46:26Z")
One of them recently dyed her hair red, but I’m not sure which one. ---
**Author:** ![lilbtagna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4491bb/32.png) [@lilbtagna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lilbtagna)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2003, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-kate-and-ashley-question/198021/15 "2003-08-28T05:45:26Z")
They’re fraternal twins? ---
**Author:** ![Duderdude2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Duderdude2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duderdude2)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2003, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-kate-and-ashley-question/198021/16 "2003-08-28T06:30:52Z")
Yup lilbtagna, hard to believe, eh? ---
**Author:** ![Homer\_J.Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a698b9/32.png) [@Homer\_J.Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homer_J.Simpson)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2003, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-kate-and-ashley-question/198021/17 "2003-08-28T06:43:03Z")
To know the real answer you have to have some very limited edition videos. Mary Kate is the one that goes down first. Ashley will only pleasure her sister after she has come. ---
**Author:** ![drewcosten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/13edae/32.png) [@drewcosten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewcosten)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2003, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-kate-and-ashley-question/198021/18 "2003-08-28T12:38:12Z")
Well, Ashley is the cute one, Mary Kate is just her sister. Anyone unfortunate enough to have seen their video sing alongs (I have younger sisters) will understand the quote. However, they’re not looking too bad on the cover of Rolling Stone. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2003, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-kate-and-ashley-question/198021/19 "2003-08-28T13:03:39Z")
The real answer: Mary-Kate is an inch shorter than Ashley. Source 1 (several pages found in a Google search): Ashley - 5’ 3". Mary-Kate - 5’ 2". Source 2 (several pages found in a Google search): Ashley - 5’ 7". Mary-Kate - 5’ 6". Rolling Stone: Ashley - 5’ 2". Mary-Kate - 5 '1". [Here](http://www.allposters.com/IMAGES/151/2581.jpg) is an image of the two standing up. [This](http://www.allposters.com/IMAGES/MMPH/245266.jpg) is an older standing image. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2003, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-kate-and-ashley-question/198021/20 "2003-08-28T13:31:30Z")
Where Mary Kate adores a minuet, The Ballet Russes, and crepe suzette, Ashley loves to rock and roll, A hot dog makes her lose control – Man, what a wild duet… Or is it the other way around? I can’t see that it matters. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-kate-and-ashley-question/198021.md?page=2)