By HEER PATEL
Featured image of Anthony Po courtesty of his YouTube channel.
This past fall a new trend of celebrity look-alike contests took the internet by storm. Celebrity look-alike contests are competitions that are open to the public during which people can compete to see who most resembles a famous celebrity’s physical appearance, style and mannerisms. The contests are typically held in public locations and are usually used for promotional events and social media challenges. Some of the most popular locations for look-alike contests have been New York City, Chicago and San Francisco.
In October of 2024, the first look-alike contest was created by YouTuber Anthony Po (pictured above). The contest was centered around actor Timothée Chalamet and located in Manhattan’s Washington Square Park. The contestants dressed up in their best costumes from the actor’s most popular movies including “Wonka,” “Dune,” and “Call Me By Your Name.” Actor Timothée Chalamet even showed up to his own look-alike contest. However, police had to shut down the event because of the large crowd that it attracted. The organizers received a $500 fine that was paid for by Chalamet.
Some of the winners have gained recent fame on social media. Actors Timothée Chalamet and Glen Powell invited their look-alikes, Miles Mitchell and Maxwell Braunstein, to walk the red carpet at the 2025 Golden Globes.
People have been using these contests as a positive way to connect with others and build confidence. Guidance Department secretary Ms. Gianna Pellegrini thinks that participating in these contests can give people more self-assurance. She said, “I think they’re positive. It gives people a little bit of a self-esteem boost if they look like a famous person.”
On the other hand, freshman Sophia S. believes that the contests are negative and spread a bad message. She said, ”There are people are trying hard to look like someone.”
This past December there was a look-alike contest of Luigi Mangione, the alleged assassin of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, which many felt was offensive. Sophomore Alyssa T. said, “ I think that’s so disrespectful because it’s kind of promoting what he did.”
Recently these contests have fallen in popularity. It is unclear whether that is due to a fading trend or the distaste for the Mangione contest. Only time will tell if public interest in this activity will make a comeback.
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