Growing up, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were my role models. I’m not even exaggerating. For a very long time, my Saturday mornings were always spent the same exact way: I would wake up early, go downstairs, pile all of my MK & A VHS tapes next to the VCR and then have an Olsen twins marathon. From The Adventures of Mary-Kate and Ashley to You’re Invited To Mary-Kate and Ashley’s… to their more “serious” movies, I watched ‘em all.

I obsessed over them in anything else they did, whether it was Full House, So Little Time, an interview in a magazine or a random appearance. I loved these girls like they were my own sisters. I copied their hair and makeup (not always the best idea), stole their catchphrases (in hindsight, those really only worked in their movies) and later on, stole their fashion sense. Everyone knew these two were my girls, and I didn’t even care who made fun of me for it.

Obviously, I learned a lot from my soul sisters.  I mean, sure, some of the lessons may have been ridiculous, but some actually were pretty helpful for life. Rag on MK & A all you want, but you can’t deny those girls were major influences on anyone growing up in the ’90s. Check out the top 10 things I learned from Mary-Kate and Ashley:

Being a twin is the best thing ever.

Thanks to the many adventures of Mary-Kate and Ashley, I spent the majority of my childhood (okay, fine, I still do this) wishing I had a twin sister. These two make it look like nothing could be cooler. A twin was a built in best friend who you could wear matching clothes with and who always had your back no matter what stupid fight you got in. I wanted one. I still want one. Thanks, Mary-Kate and Ashley, for giving me an impossible dream.

Clothes are important. Very important.

If there’s one thing I took away from the countless hours I spent watching MK & A get into all sorts of trouble, it was that they always looked cute no matter what. Whether they were dodging the cops, going on a hot date or sitting in class, they always looked like they had stepped out of the pages of a fashion magazine – a ’90s fashion magazine, that is. I constantly walked away from their movies vowing to make sure I always looked that put together. Or, you know, that colorful and accessorized. Same thing.

When in doubt, sing it out.

The Olsen twins did a lot of singing when they were younger. Just look at that theme song. I loved how they used to break out into song during The Adventures of Mary-Kate and Ashley or You’re Invited To Mary-Kate and Ashley’s… despite how corny and silly it was. And who can ever, ever forget “Brother For Sale”? No one. The Olsen’s showed me that every problem can, and should, be fixed by music.

Flirty and confident is the way to be. 

Okay, this is an actual lesson. No matter what silly schemes the girls got themselves into and no matter what setting they were in (Transylvania, California, Paris, Australia…), one thing always remained the same: MK & A never suffered from low self-esteem and they never missed the opportunity to get their flirt on with a hottie.

Your hair should never be boring.

Now, Mary-Kate and Ashley might have pretty calm hairstyles (usually messy-chic), but when they were younger, these two were so not afraid to play around with crazy hairstyles… something I wish I never attempted myself. Huge flowered headbands? A million tiny braids? Fake cornrows? Crimped hair? Yes, I tried them all. I mean, yeah, it was the ’90s and you could get away with that stuff, but still… I have to thank them for giving me some of my most embarrassing hair-do’s.

Vacations = trouble

Most of the Olsen movies started out with the plan for a vacation in an exotic place: Australia, Paris, Rome, London, the Bahamas. But just as these girls started to relax, something always happened, whether it was getting framed for something they didn’t do, getting stuck in the Witness Protection Program or witnessing someone smuggle stolen artifacts. I quickly learned that you should always be prepared when you go away – you never know what might happen.

Solving mysteries is easier than you think. 

Speaking of trouble on vacations, the Olsen twins always had a knack for getting to the bottom of things. I guess these girls seriously had a thing for mysteries, because they were always solving them. I mean, if teenage blonde sisters can do it, anyone can, right?

Boys are everything and everywhere.

As Mary-Kate and Ashley grew up and started noticing boys, I quickly learned that being boy crazy was the way to be. They made it look so easy! These girls met a guy who fell head over heels for them everywhere they went. I tried (unsuccessfully) to follow in their footsteps. If only their flirting skills had rubbed off on me.

School is kind of… fun?

Whenever you saw MK & A in school, they always seemed to be enjoying themselves so much. I mean, look at Ashley’s locker in that clip! Even when they were complaining about homework or teachers, they always managed to somehow get to the top of the social scene. I tried to act as cool with my friends in between classes, but no one was as peppy as these two.

Your mischievous schemes will always have a happy ending.

No matter what kind of trouble these girls got themselves into, they always came out smiling – and holding hands with a new boyfriend. Sigh. If only my life could be so interesting.

Were you a fan of Mary-Kate and Ashley when they were younger? What was your favorite MK&A movie? What did I miss here? Tell me in the comments!

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