But I think there’s another tidbit of meaning to be gleaned from the trend. If we look at the list of male subjects in these competitions, a certain pattern emerges. Almost all of these people are what we would probably consider unconventionally attractive. Yes, they are undeniably good-looking, but they are not the classic Hollywood hunk types. The lookalike contest trend, it strikes me, is just another sign that women are looking for something a little different from their fantasy men.

After all, many straight women flocked to these contests (or joked about attending) as if they were singles parties designed to introduce them to their dream guys. As one person wrote on X: “Do you think people are just putting on these lookalike contests to find boyfriends and girlfriends who look like their celebrity crushes?” Another wrote: “‘Timothée Chalamet lookalike contest’ sounds like an elaborate plot to find a boyfriend for someone who has a type.” The BBC even interviewed a number of attendees at a second Paul Mescal lookalike contest in Hoxton who claimed they were there to “find a boyfriend.” “I have been known to really dig a mullet. So… I’m looking,” one woman joked.

What does the lookalike contest trend say about how attractiveness standards are changing?