At 36, Lisa Johnston is double her 18-year-old daughter’s age — but people regularly mistake them for sisters, and the mother-of-two even still gets IDed by bouncers.
The semi-permanent make-up artist from Glasgow was 17 when she had Alicia, and describes her as a ‘built-in best friend’.
The lookalike pair have a close relationship, sharing clothes, make-up, and even the same friends, to the point Lisa claims strangers are ‘gobsmacked’ when they hear beautician Alicia call her ‘mum’.
‘We’ve been out a couple of times together at pubs and no one can believe it,’ she says. ‘They’re like, “What? Are you friends or sisters?”.’
Although they often get ‘confused’ looks while out together, Lisa takes this as a compliment, getting a ‘confidence boost’ if people question whether they’re really mum and daughter.
‘That’s not your mummy she looks in her 20s,’ wrote one user under a TikTok of them, while another said: ‘Nah both look as young as each other. Sisters definitely.’
‘Who’s the mum I’m confused,’ added a third.
‘People say I look really young, it’s quite nice actually,’ Lisa adds.
She enjoys the idea of having produced a ‘mini me’, with duo being told they’re a ‘copy and paste’ of each other.
‘The more Alicia is getting older I can now see the big resemblance especially when we’re doing the videos and things together,’ says the mum. ‘It is kind of like who’s who?’
Alicia appreciates how alike they are too, commenting: ‘My friends love coming over because my mum is like a friend. They’ll just chat away to her.
‘There will be times where I’m minding my own business and I’ll get a phone call and they’re like, “I’m out with your mum right now”.
‘She’s part of the friendship group.’
The teen isn’t bothered by the comparisons — instead finding it ‘funny’.
‘As I got older and I looked more like my mum, people were like, “oh my God, you actually look so similar”,’ says Alicia. ‘We’ve basically got the same makeup routine and everything. So it’s actually good.’
Lisa credits her youthful looks to a healthy lifestyle, explaining: ‘Fitness and healthy eating is a big part of my lifestyle – I go to the gym five times a week.’
She also makes an effort to avoid unneccessary stress, which she believes is a ‘big part’ of staying so fresh-faced.
‘We’re all just living life – it should be fun,’ she added. ‘I don’t get myself too riled up on anything.’
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