Strange Facts About The Olsen Twins

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen first gained fame as infants in the 1980s when they were cast as Michelle Tanner on ABC's "Full House" at just six months old. Remaining with the show throughout its eight seasons, the sisters managed to transcend typical child star trajectories by sustaining their global success beyond the show's conclusion in 1995. Mary-Kate and Ashley quit acting after appearing in an array of movies, eventually making their foray into the world of fashion.

In 2006, they founded luxury brand The Row with the aim of crafting essential wardrobe pieces they couldn't find on the market, as they revealed in a 2011 interview with Net-A-Porter. "It started with a T-shirt," Ashley said, explaining that their vision was to create a foundational garment that could be easily paired with other luxurious pieces. Describing their Midas touch career-wise, Joe Karban, The Row's vice president of sourcing and production, shared with The New York Times in 2009, "Everything Mary-Kate and Ashley do turns to gold."

While their remarkable careers stand out, the Olsen twins also boast a collection of strange quirks. From not being identical twins (which is why you may be able to tell the difference between them) to having an aversion to the virtual realm, Mary-Kate and Ashley are some of Hollywood's most peculiar celebrities.

Contrary to popular belief, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are not identical twins. Yes, you read that right. Despite playing one character, Michelle Tanner, in "Full House" so seamlessly, the Olsen twins are actually fraternal twins, according to their appearance on the "The Late Show with David Letterman." Being fraternal means they originated from separate fertilized eggs and do not share identical DNA. Fraternal twins also don't share as many physical characteristics as identical twins do, but Mary-Kate and Ashley looked so much alike when they were kids that the producers of "Full House" got away with crediting them as a single person until Season 8, according to Screen Rant. Nonetheless, there were subtle differences between the sisters even then.

One notable contrast is their dominant hand — Mary-Kate is left-handed, while Ashley favors her right hand, as Us Weekly noted. Discrepancies in height are also apparent, with Ashley standing an inch taller than Mary-Kate, as the duo shared in an interview with Oprah in 2004. Moreover, a faint freckle above Ashley's upper lip served as a distinguishing feature when they were younger, although it conveniently faded away over time.

As the Olsen twins have matured, the physical disparities between them have become more apparent. Ashley has larger, rounded eyes and fuller lips, while Mary-Kate has a slimmer face with more pronounced cheekbones.

Perhaps the strangest-sounding thing about the Olsen twins is that they both had to wear dentures during their time on "Full House." However, the reason behind this oddity is quite straightforward — their baby teeth fell out at different times.

In an interview with David Letterman on the "Late Show," Mary-Kate Olsen explained that the show had to maintain the illusion of continuity, which is why wearing fake teeth was inevitable for the famous duo. She explained, "I always lost my teeth after Ashley, but we were playing the same person, so we were always at the dentist getting fake teeth."

Even after the conclusion of "Full House," the Olsen twins' teeth continued to attract media attention, primarily because the famous sisters seldom smiled in public. Whenever they did showcase their smiles, headlines would emerge. In 2008, HuffPost ran an article titled "Mary-Kate Olsen Smiles Like She Rarely Does — With Teeth," featuring a rare photo of the twin grinning at a red carpet event. A decade later, the topic remained relevant when Life & Style Magazine published an article titled "Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Actually Smiled in Public — and the World Did Not End!" While it's likely that they no longer wear dentures, the intrigue surrounding the Olsen twins' teeth clearly persists.

In the world of social media, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen maintain a minimal online presence, eschewing personal accounts in favor of platforms dedicated to their brands. In a 2011 interview with Vogue, Mary-Kate explained, "We've spent our whole lives trying to not let people have that accessibility, so it would go against everything we've done in our lives to not be in the public." Ashley added that the thought of gaining millions of followers overnight makes her anxious. The Olsen twins echoed the sentiment in a 2017 interview with Net-a-Porter, with Ashley sharing, "We don't dive into that world [of social media]; we don't have Instagram or Facebook." She added, "We've stayed quite sheltered."

The sisters' reluctance to embrace the digital world extends beyond social media — the two have never purchased anything online. Despite being avid fashion lovers, Mary-Kate and Ashley still prefer the in-store experience. In a 2016 interview with The New York Times, the twins revealed they've never made an online purchase, with the exception of a single item Mary-Kate bought at an auction. "I prefer to see, touch, feel, and experience," Ashley told Vogue just days prior.

The twins have also extended this approach to their brands, particularly The Row. When speaking to Vogue about the clothing line, Mary-Kate shared, "Our ultimate goal when we started [was] to bring an experience to life."

The Olsen twins have admitted to a couple of strange beauty habits we can't get over. In a 2014 interview with Elle, Ashley Olsen candidly shared her unconventional approach to preventing skin picking, labeling it as a common beauty habit to be avoided. "I prefer to get ready with the lights off, so I'm never even tempted to look at my skin," she said.

In contrast, Mary-Kate Olsen has her own strange beauty habit involving her hair. Notorious for leaving her house with wet hair, Mary-Kate explained to Teen Vogue that she intentionally lets her locks air-dry. Additionally, she admitted to not being the best at properly brushing her hair, which is why air-drying might be a simpler alternative for her. In the twins' interview with Elle, Mary-Kate humorously noted, "I feel like I just learned how to brush my hair, like last week."

The sisters' hairstylist, Mark Townsend, spoke to The Coveteur in 2014, revealing that Mary-Kate and Ashley can pull off a low-maintenance hair care approach due to their type of locks. "They are blessed with great texture and natural waves in their hair, so we don't have to spend a lot of time to get that perfectly tousled look," he explained.

Despite adhering to specific beauty standards, the Olsen twins can't seem to shake their nicotine addiction. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are notorious smokers, but the Internet appears oddly fascinated by their bad habit. There's an Instagram page dedicated solely to photos of the sisters smoking, cleverly named @mka_smoking. "There's nothing quite as soothing as a pic of Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen smoking," the account's bio says unironically.

Reports surfaced that even during Mary-Kate's 2015 wedding to her now-ex-husband, French banker Olivier Sarkozy, the couple was unfazed by smoking indoors. According to a Page Six source, the celebration featured "bowls and bowls filled with cigarettes, and everyone smoked the whole night."

In 2016, the THNK1994 Museum curated an exhibition dedicated to the Olsen twins, complete with a designated cigarette room to pay homage to Mary-Kate's purported wedding smoking extravaganza. As per an MTV report, a visitor said, "I love that they still smoke." Notably, the museum continues to sell ashtrays featuring the Olsen twins' faces, accompanied by the text "Mary-Kate and Ash Tray," as well as one inscribed with "Bowls and bowls of cigarettes."