It's all about sisters in stories, including those sisterly stereo types, and they're found in movies, books, and music.

The good, bad and beautiful side to sisters in stories and music, including the sisterly types you’d love to hate.

WHAT MAKES SISTERS SO SPECIAL?

Good sisters come built-in with a wish list of qualities such as honesty, loyalty, and trustworthiness.

Even though they’ve been known to have spectacular spats between them, a sister is there not only in times of need but also for celebrations.

What makes sisters so special is that they’re part of our lives from the start. They’re our collaborators and co-conspirators in getting at that secret stash of chocolate in the kitchen, to searching the house for Christmas presents, to being at our weddings. But they’re more…

SISTERLY BENEFITS:

There are many benefits of having a sister, or being part of a sisterhood, as they can help you grow, to empower and inspire you. Basically, they’re great for your mind, body, and soul.

Having a sister can be the leader of your personal cheer squad as they pop the champagne. Drag out the tissues and load you up with your favourite comfort foods when you go through a breakup. They’ll be right beside you as you both scream out the wrong words to the right songs at any time (especially when wine is involved), you’ll forever be swapping clothes, and recipes, to dating advice.

They’re the sounding board if you truly want that honest opinion—though many of us cringe at that dose of tough love.

But what makes that bond so beautiful is their unwavering loyalty.

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THEN THE SISTERS THAT HATE EACH OTHER

So the whole sisterly love isn’t perfect—like those days you’d wished you were an only child or get adopted by some rich family who had a household of pets and ice cream.

A Cambridge University study states that the relationship between sisters is one of the most complex relationships a woman will ever have to deal with.

Sisters know how to embarrass you, they know your weak spots. They also know those awful childhood dramas you try to bury so deep and ignore their existence. But they know. And they aren’t afraid to blackmail you over it—if you have that kind of sister.

Such as the case for Margaret Seltzer, an American writer, of the book Love and Consequences: A Memoir of Hope and Survival—it was her sister who ousted the author proving this memoir was in fact a fake!

SISTERLY RELATIONSHIPS – IT’S THE STUFF OF STORIES

While healthy sisterly relationships can be an incredible source of support, unhealthy toxic sibling relationships may be equally devastating. Sibling rivalry may be something you suffer as children, but as adults, it’s the stuff of stories. Most of those sister wars are founded by the rising of that greened eye monster that we all know as Envy.

That sisterly relationship, and how we interact with our sisters in that sisterly role, affects how we interact with other women. Studies have shown that how women judge other women is based on their sisterly relationships. Shocking, huh?

So it all boils down to the type of sister you have and your relationship with them.

In need of an escape? Try this story of two sisters heading into the unknown outback to save their family home.

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EIGHT SISTER TYPES IN STORIES:

The baby sister, the big sister, the middle sister, the stepsister and the half-sister all are part of the makeup of sisters in stories. Below are 8 sister stereotypes you may recognise:

THE PERFECT PRINCESS:

Annoyingly, this stereotypical sister fuels sibling rivalry. It’s the sister who was the most popular in school. The sister who wins the awards, has the dream job, the rich husband, drives the perfect car, and looks like they have their life together.

They’re so perfect that every time their name pop-ups on your phone, you’d rather face a plague of locusts while covered in assorted mushy greens, than answer that call.

The baby sister fits this category as they get everything, and are never at fault with the parents.

So, it’s safe to say that the perfect princess sister is annoying. Don’t you agree?

THE SISTERLY SIDEKICK

The power of having a bestie as a sibling is priceless.

As mentioned earlier, no one knows you better than the sister you grew up with. They know your flaws, but also your dreams and greatest joys, bringing value to each other’s lives.

She’ll know all your inside jokes, making you snort-laugh at the most inappropriate times like sitting at a funeral. Also making the best wingman for checking out eligible men for you.

The sisterly BFF is truly precious as your permanent sidekick tackling all the challenges of life thrown your way.

THE SCANDALMONGERING SISTER

The scandalmongering sister is a nosy snitch.

They thrive on telling your parents when you broke curfew. Or that time you tried on your mother’s earrings when you weren’t allowed to touch them.

Sadly that tattling snitchy-sister never grew out of the habit. Instead, they’ve become obsessed with your dirt, to tell-all to the family, the cousins, the second cousins, and the milkman’s barber.

Why?

Because they know better!

But, hey, you can all live in hope that deep down, this type of sister does care—and only wants what’s best for you—by their own interpretations. Because you know they’re going to judge you for e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.

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THE SISTERLY DEFENDER:

You were doing something silly in the house and knocked over your mother’s good vase. You know the one, that’s probably been handed down from some great-great-aunt you can’t remember. At that moment, your whole life stops as the precious micro-seconds teeter on the edge as that vase wobbles precariously on the side table.

Then in an act by the devil himself, it tips over the edge…

And falls…

Crashing spectacularly to the floor, shattering into a gazillion shards of dangerous porcelain that are destined to stab into your soles over the next six months.

But that earth-shattering sound of breaking glass reverberates like a cold chill up your spine. It echoes between your ears louder than a thousand large gongs being vigorously smacked with mallets in an echoey amphitheatre. It makes everyone rush to the room, to find you, blinking and dumbfounded—with your ears still ringing from shellshock.

But it’s your sister to the rescue. Not only does she help to clean up the mess, but she also covers for you and takes the blame.

The sisterly defender is your permanent ally. They’re your on-call 24/7 defender, no matter what, when and where. From taking on the school bully for you, or giving that crusty Karen a spray over your choice of almond milk in the supermarket! They’d make great public defenders, or they’re just the older sister who helped break the rules first to make life easier for you.

THE CRIMINAL MASTERMIND:

This is the sister that usually gets into trouble. They’re on a first-name basis with their dealer and the staff at the local police station. They’ll spend most of their time vaping outside at family gatherings, between those long vacationing times when they’re working on their moon tans, wearing orange as their new colour black.

Oh yeah, there are lots and lots of sisters who play their parts as the criminal masterminds, who are quite smart and relish their reputations as the black sheep in the family.

If being truthful…

Hot damn we love these types of sisters in stories!

THE POLISHED PRETENDER:

The polished pretender is the sister who makes out that their magnificent life is perfect.

Yet, it’s a total mess.

Her husband is having an affair. The youngest child is running an illegal gambling den from their basement. The oldest daughter is about to elope with a foreign exchange student in need of a visa. And the goldfish is belly up in the bowl, realising the only way to get attention in this household is by playing dead.

But they all put on a smile and pretend everything is fabulous for those family occasions, and how everything is fiiine.

But when the make-up melts and the curtain of chaos is revealed… Mwah-ah-ah, it’s the stuff of stories.

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THE SKIRT-AROUND THE EDGES SISTER:

This is those sisters who aren’t close.

They’ve had many fallouts over the years that have diligently chipped away at what is normally known as the building blocks for that sisterly bond.

Maybe their husbands didn’t get along, or that sibling rivalry got too much, and they broke under the pressure. So they tread warily around each other.

They’re the sister that dutifully shows up for major family events, like marriages or funerals, carrying a tuna-smelling jello mould.

They avoid deep conversations and are always perfectly civil. Are known to help you tidy up at parties while waiting for the first chance to leave the room.

But, if we were to dig a little deeper, they’re the sister in stories that is like the timid mouse that learns to roar, they’re the hero we’re waiting to explode.

NEVER SPEAKING TO YOU AGAIN SISTER:

This is the sister who steals your boyfriend!

Or they’ve stolen from you in one way or another and lied so many times you don’t know what’s real or a story from the la-la-land of loonies. But they love to stir up trouble, cause fights, and break stuff.

They’re so toxic that you cut them completely out of your life.

Repairing the damage in this sort of toxic sisterly relationship, when there is so much emotional anger brewing underneath, is hard. It’s easier to just forget that they even existed, moving to another suburb in another state, in another country on the other side of the globe.

Only for them to bash on your door in the middle of the night, leaving you to explain to the husband you had a sister. Ba-boom!

Yeah, it’s juicy stuff.

In need of an escape? Try this story of two sisters heading into the unknown outback to save their family farm.

SISTERLY STORIES IN BOOKS & MOVIES

So we’ve gone through the stereotypes involving sisters in stories, let’s get into the lists. Below, I’ve collected just a few books, movies, TV series, or movie adaptations that came from books, and music that involve sister or sisterhood. See how many you know or remember. Oh, and they’re not in any particular order.

THE SISTER STORIES IN MOVIES, BOOKS AND TV:

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SISTERS IN MUSIC:

The word sister is surprisingly popular in band names, especially among all-male groups! And those actual sisters who do sing, prefer to go solo. So here are 10 sisterly things found within the music industry.

Pointer sisters
Twisted Sister,
Shakespeares Sister
Sisters Doll,
Sisters of mercy
Scissor Sisters
Sister2Sister
Beyonce’ and Solange Knowles
The Andrews Sisters
Jessica and Ashlee Simpson

15+ SONGS ABOUT SISTERS:

Who better to sing loudly, and without fear of judgement, than your sister? So take advantage of this list of songs about sisters or sisterhood:

Sisters are doing it for themselves, Aretha Franklin and Eurythmics
Lean on me, Bill Withers
I’ll take care of you, Dixie Chicks
Little Sister, Jewel
This one’s for the girls, Martina McBride
I’ll stand by you, The Pretenders
Boos of Me, They Might Be Giants
White Wedding, Billy Idol
A Thousand Years, Christina Perri
Hey, Soul Sister, Train
Call your Sister, Taylor Edwards
You and your sister, Chris Bell
Girls Just want to have Fun, Cyndi Lauper
Miss Celie’s Blues (sister) from the Colour Purple
We are Family, Sister Sledge
The Wind beneath my wings, Bette Midler
Dance little sister, Rolling Stones, Terence Trent D’Arby and…

To make it easier we’ve put them on the Sister Trip playlist here>>

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FAMOUS SISTERS:

History has many stories about sisters that became legends, goddesses, queens, CEOs of commercial empires, Instagram influencers, and sporting greats. Here are just some of the famous sisters out there in the world:

HISTORICAL SISTERS

Daughters of Zeus, the goddesses Athena and Artemis
The Soong Sisters were rich and influential women who impacted the history of China. There is a Mao Zedong saying to describe these sisters: “One loved money, one loved power, one loved her country.”
Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Bronte, the authors of Jane Eyre, Emily, Wuthering Heights.
Anne and Mary Boleyn—both were unlucky in love with Henry VIII, with only Mary being lucky enough to keep her head.
Queen “bloody” Mary Tudor and Elizabeth I of England, were half-sisters with a legendary sibling rivalry so fierce Mary had Elizabeth jailed.
Angelina and Sarah Grimke were 19th-century women’s rights activists and abolitionists against slavery

THOSE WE SEE IN THE SOCIALS

Serena and Venus Williams
The Olsen Twins
Kim, Khloe’ and Kourtney Kardashian
And of course Kendall and Kylie Jenner

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SISTERS IN STORIES

Having a sister can be both good, bad, and beautiful. They can be a big part of those moments when you hate each other, and not talk for decades, but you’re brought together for a purpose. Like the book, THE SISTER TRIP, where two warring sisters may have a chance to either kill each other or reignite the sisterly bond, as they try to save the family farm.

Then we have the bully of a big sister who tries to stand over the timid skirt-around-the-edges sister in this romantic dark-comedy that comes with a crime in UNPLANNED PARTY.

Within the bestselling ELSIE CREEK SERIES, we’re privy to the secret sisterhood shared by those living in this remote region of the Australian Outback.

And in MUSTER IN THE DUST, it’s the protective big sister who’d do anything for the selfish princess-baby sister, and this story won many readers’ hearts as our heroine gives everything for her family.

Whichever way you look at it, no matter how good, bad, and ugly it may get, having a sister is special. It’s why I dedicated the book, The Sister Trip this way: