An encounter with faces

Something I had written a while ago but forgot to put up

Have you ever seen someone and thought "Wow that looks like (insert name here). I think I will go up to them and say hello/something dirty/play a prank" only to have it backfire horrendously when you realize that in fact it is not Alec Baldwin, but much less famous (and infinitely more sketchy) Stephen Baldwin. This is just an example of course, but we all know the feeling where we see someone and mistake them for someone else.

In my life I have seen a lot of people. I have met a lot of people as well, but that number pales in comparison to the number of people I have "seen". This is mostly due to the fact that I traveled a lot growing up (still do) and I get a larger dose of fresh faces than most people would. Why is this important (you might yawningly intone)? It is important because it provides me the basis to put forward the following theory:

There are a limited number of faces nature has to offer us. This number is not small, but not everyone has a unique face. Indeed human limitations at attention to detail restrain our ability to distinguish between two mostly similar faces rendering them equivalent (to us at least). There are only so many ways to change a face or its features. Therefore the more people you have seen, the more you will see that the new people that you meet look very similar(or only a slight deviation from) a person you have seen before.

Now I know this not a particularly bold (or well phrased) statement. But my observations on the subject have truly been fascinating. Many a times I have run into someone and thought that they resembled so-and-so so strongly that they HAVE to be related. Of course this is hardly ever the case. The chances of someone else you have never met looking very much like you seem quite high.

It is well documented that celebrities have plenty of lookalikes (notably people like Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, Abe Lincoln, etc). But bear in mind that in this case a conscious effort was made to impersonate someone else. Certain dressing techniques, makeup and body language can make them very convincing. What I am talking about though is one person living in Kentucky and the other in Hong Kong looking exactly alike by happy coincidence. Their faces match. You should be able to change their outward appearance (within reason) and still be able to tell.

The chances of you meeting your own lookalike are pretty slim. It is much more likely you will meet someone else's. Of course, it doesn't hurt to keep looking. If all else fails, at least you might find your identical hand twin. If that is any consolation.