Trending 20th August 2021 by Vicki Notaro

The 15 Most Iconic Sisters In Pop Culture (Try Prove Us Wrong)

Real or imagined, these are the sibling sets that resonated with audiences worldwide.

 

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The Kardashians

And the Jenners of course, the blended family of full and half-siblings that have become the most famous sisters on the planet (plus Rob). In age order, Kourtney, Kimberly, Khloe, Kendall and Kylie have not only captured the zeitgeist but dominated it, and it all goes back to their mam selling a show off the back of a sex tape and a very unusual household dynamic. The elder trio’s chemistry as sisters was what hooked me and millions of others, and I’m still gripped to this day. What’ll I do when it all ends?

The Hadids

Bella and Gigi are a pair of sister linked to other sisters on this list – the Kardashians through marriage (their former stepdad David Foster was also married to Caitlyn Jenner’s former wife Linda Thompson – incredibly confusing, I know) and the Richards through reality TV, and they also appeared on RHOBH with their mother Yolans when they were just teenagers. Now though, they’re two of the biggest models and It girls in the entire world, known by their first names only and also appear as close as can be. Aw.

Buffy and Dawn

I rewatched Buffy recently and when I got to the episode where Dawn crops up as Buffy’s 14-year-old sister, I was like huh?! Buff was always an only child, until of course the forces of good and evil intervened and sent her an orb to protect disguised as a sister, and brainwashed them all into believing she’d always been around. And stick around she does for the latter seasons; love her or hate her, at least she always brought some drama.

Little Women

Meh, jo, Amy and Beth March, aka the Little Women, have been portrayed on screen several times since cinema’s inception, most recently by Emma Watson, Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh and Eliza Scanlen. The four daughters of Marmie are all very different but incredibly close, until love, death, illness and the passage of time threaten their cosy cocoon. A gorgeous story, whether you’ve sisters or not.

 

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Anna and Elsa

Cartoons, yes, but this pair were the first Disney princesses to sell something other than a love story on the big screen – Frozen and its sequel is all about sisterhood first and foremost. Complete opposites (mostly because one of them has supernatural powers), they won the hearts of billions of viewers with their relationship and made the films the most successful animated features of all time.

Kamala and Maya Harris

This pair are as cool as it gets, and absolute political powerhouses when they join forces. Kamala is of course the Vice President, the first woman ever to be voted into the office, and Maya is her sister slash campaign manager, aka the woman who helped put her there. Both lawyers, Kamala describes her little sister as the smartest person she knows. Love this for them!

Tia and Tamera

Is there an elder millennial alive that didn’t watch Sister Sister every day after school? Not only a gas sitcom with hilarious parents, an annoying neighbour and excellent 90s fashion, this show also entertained that fantasy many have of bumping into their double on a random Tuesday, and discovering that you were in fact separated from your identical twin at birth and have been missing a half all of these years. It’s all on Netflix now, so enjoy a trip down memory lane. And the gals have also invented quite solid Lifetime movie career for themselves now as (gulp) 42 year olds.

Beyonce and Solange

Damn, those are some talented Knowles! When Solange entered the public eye at first, it was as Destiny’s Child star B’s little sister, but she soon became an artist in her own right, beloved for her avant garde music and style. Her sibling is of course the single most famous performer in the entire world. Both will be remembered however for the infamous Liftgate after the Met Gala, where Solange tore her brother in law Jay Z a new one while Beyonce stood by silently. CCTV was leaked, headlines buzzed and it went down in pop culture history.

The Sanderson Sisters

A magical trio, also based on real people, witches and also all-singing, all-dancing characters, the trio from Hocus Pocus cover a lot of ground on this list. Immortalised by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy, they recently reunited for a (rather strange) charity special at Halloween, and talks of a proper film sequel are in the works.

Mary Kate and Ashley

Icons both in fiction and reality, the Olsen twins first appeared on US comedy Full House as babies before finding themselves at the centre of a tween dynasty where they appeared in tons of films, sitcoms and tons of merchandise which led to them becoming two of the richest young women in the world. Also admired for their style as they got older, they used that money to create two fashion lines, uber high-end The Row and more affordable Elizabeth + James, named after their other siblings. Did you know that they’re actually not identical? Mad.

 

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Sweet Valley High

Another set of iconic 90s twins, Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield sprung from the pages of Francine Pascal’s teen series Sweet Valley High on to our screens, and a generation was instantly hooked. Gone were the weird drawing on the front of the books, replaced by the flesh and blood Cynthis and Brittany Daniel, who embodied the Southern Californian glam so evocative in the novels. I adored them, and would probably reread all the books again if lockdown continues for another second.

The Richards

Another set of reality TV royalty, Kim and Kyle Richards were two of the original stars of Bravo’s Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and responsible for the majority of the early drama as they struggled with Kim’s mental health and substance abuse issues. To add even more intrigue, their elder half-sister is none other than Kathy Hilton, mother to Paris and Nicky and about to join the cast of the show for its 11th season. Kim is no longer involved, but we’re sure she’ll pop up because this trio of child stars slash Hollywood royalty make the viewers flock in.

Charmed

Another set of supernatural sisters, this time in the form of three witches. The iconic 90s series is being rebooted, something the original stars don’t seem thrilled about judging by their recent tweets. The power of three was always strong with these gals, who discover that together they can take on evil demons and warlocks using their individual powers combined. Special shout out here for another witchy pair of sisters, the iconic Zelda and Hilda Spellman.

The Schuyler Sisters

Anyone that’s seen Hamilton – and that should be everyone now that it’s on Disney+ – will know how integral the Schuylers were not only to Alexander Hamilton’s life, but to freedom and democracy in the United States. Based on real women, Angelica was Alex’s intellectual equal and political aide, while Eliza was his wife. Peggy was just um, there, which is something they make fun of throughout the musical. Their songs are the best, FYI.

The Dashwoods

Jane Austen had a particular penchant for writing about sisters; in reality she only had one sister and six (6!) brothers. However she captured the dynamic beautifully in both Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, writing about the sometimes fraught relationships between sisters when the subject of marriage enters the equation. I adore Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson in the 1995 film version of Sense and Sensibility, playing the Dashwoods to perfection. Snaps to the sisters of Bridgerton also for continuing the trope.

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