A group of mulleted men donning short-shorts descended upon Hoxton last Thursday, to fight fiercely in Hackney’s latest competition: a Paul Mescal Lookalike Contest.
With the lucrative prize of a £20 Lidl voucher at stake, tensions ran high at Howl at the Moon as pub-goers enjoyed the Guinness and “Mescal-itas” on offer. Free mullet-cutting and tattoos were also available.
The Normal People and Gladiator II star has become a household name over the past few years, gaining a reputation for his iconic Gaelic football shorts and some questionable internet rumours.
“I was hoping for more short-shorts,” one onlooker said. “But Paul is here in spirit.”
The lookalike trend began with a Timothee Chalamet contest in New York, to which the American actor showed up himself. After going viral online, the idea has been recreated around the world, with contests taking place for Jeremy Allen White, Rachel Sennott and Zayn Malik.
“So much of our everyday life has moved to a third space, which is social media,” one pub-goer told the BBC. “And it’s kind of the opposite that’s happening now.”
Three rounds tested contestants on their Mescal-inity, which included measurement of each’s shorts, an Irish accent challenge, and a final assessment of their ability to split the G on a pint of Guinness.
The competition was thrown into uncertainty after it was revealed Paul Number 10, the frontrunner and presumed champion, was not single. This was deemed against the rules, the host announced, as she had organised this contest “to find a boyfriend”.
In a shocking turn of events, it was Paul Number 4, otherwise known as Connor Ryan, who ultimately clinched the title.
“From the moment I walked through the front door of the pub, I was met with quite a big cheer and people asking for photos,” he told the Hackney Post. “I knew I had a good chance with the crowd on my side.”
Ryan had been urged to enter the contest by around 9 different friends, he added. “It got to the point where I started telling people I had already entered and then had to follow through with it.”
Dressed in athletic gear, Ryan revealed that “it is a weird feeling knowing that the shorts were definitely playing in my favour – I’m not sure they’ll be a wardrobe go-to just yet”.
Elise Barry is a beat reporter for Hoxton East and Shoreditch and a student Journalist at City University.