Starting fall 2024, with the Timothée Chalamet lookalike contest held in New York City, group competitions and lookalike contests took the world by storm. Spawning on social media sites like Instagram and Yik Yak, these contests continue to go viral, and lately, many of these group events have been hosted here at FSU.
At the start of the Fall 2025 semester, unofficial FSU Instagram profiles began posting content, and competitions began popping up all over social media. This gained massive popularity, leading to students hosting their own competitions on Landis Green.
The first installment of the school year was a masculine lesbian contest, which took place on Landis Green on Aug. 29. Many students gathered on Landis, either participating in or watching the competitions. Students were judged based on the amount of applause they got for their performances. At the end, one student was deemed the “best masc lesbian.” This contest inspired a spate of competitions at FSU.
This contest was just one of many at FSU. Schools across the U.S. have held similar events, drawing inspiration from one another and taking it a step further creatively with each competition. At this point, many universities have held contests like this, proving that no student or university is safe from this trend.
After the masc lesbian meet-up, there was an evil femme lesbian competition. Though this stereotype has been considered harmful in the past, it was clear that students were making light of it with this activity. Very similar to the first contest, the femme lesbian competition had students gather and watch the participants. During each round of this competition, each person demonstrated why they should win the competition. After a series of rounds, three people were crowned winners of the evil femme competition.
The latest contest held on the lovely Landis Green was a performative male contest. Just like the others, students gathered to witness and vote on who was the most performative of the male attendees. Just as in the contests before, students were voted and ranked by the amount of applause they received from the onlookers.
The “performative male” has been a popularly addressed topic on social media for a while now. Most commonly known for attempting to gain validation from women, these men are often stereotyped as feminists, matcha drinkers, and tote bag and wired earbud users. You may notice some using a Labubu as an accessory as well. This competition played into this idea of “performative men” and had students demonstrate how performative they could be.
Now, not all the meetups on Landis Green have been for competitions. On Aug. 29, a student hosted Group Doom Scroll, meaning endless swipes through social media feeds, on the green. This event was spread via word of mouth and social media. During this group meet, students sat around Landis Green on benches or on picnic blankets, and they all scrolled social media together.
FSU students have jumped on the bandwagon and, like many other schools, are holding competitions like the ones seen on social media. It’s entertaining, but it also brings students together. While it might not be like a conventional club meeting, students can relate to one another at these competitions and meet new people who also enjoy these activities.
With the vast popularity of these contests, we can only wait and see what students are going to host next.
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