We’ve all seen the photos. Two grinning sophomores in blue t-shirts and leggings. Two senior boys wearing the same gray sweatshirt, both holding up finger guns. A physics teacher and the drama department head, arms around each other and their respective ugly sweaters. No doubt about it, these instances of coincidental matching have taken over Newton South media.

The account @nshs_matching on Instagram has amassed over 700 followers and has a total of 260 posts. But what is it? And what does the emergence of this social media phenomenon mean for the South community?

We spoke with the creator of the account — who chose to remain anonymous — to get the inside scoop: “nshs_matching is something I started just for fun with my friends. I never thought it would become something so big.” Now, it has become common practice for Newton South students to force two “matching” peers to take a picture, often regardless of whether they even know each other.

The bio of the account reads, “your favorite pics of people unintentionally matching / dm matching pics !!” Hence, the posts started with such innocent coincidences. However, as the account has grown, matching throughout the South halls has grown as well. It is not a coincidence to see more friends in identical outfits, as features on the account have become greatly coveted. At one point, students were sending in so many pictures that the images had to be posted weeks after their submission due to a backup. People even went so far as to comment satirical “hate” on posts that they deemed not “matching” enough.

When asked about the account’s legacy on the Newton South community, the creator explained, “I hope that it made people feel more connected to each other at the school. And I hope that other people got just as excited as I did seeing people match. It’s a simple joy.” And simple it is. One never would have thought pictures of random students with similar outfits could be so compelling. Out of the myriad of random Newton South accounts floating around on different social media platforms, @nshs_matching is definitely one of the most fun and creative out there. Moreover, it has brought people together who otherwise never might have spoken at all, simply because they wore the same pair of Converse.

So what’s next for @nshs_matching? Reports of a new post are circulating after months of the account laying dormant. In fact, The account received multiple submissions during our five-minute discussion with the owner. The matching spirit is still very much alive.
If you want to be in the next post, make sure to follow and message @nshs_matching on Instagram!