As queer women took to the streets of New York this weekend for their Dyke March, the lesbians of London gathered together for a slightly different, but still extremely gay, reason: a Shane McCutcheon lookalike contest. 

Following lookalike contests for male stars like Harry Styles, Timothée Chalamet and Dev Patel, it was finally time for the WLW community to have their turn. And who better to start with than Shane from The L Word, the show’s resident heartbreaker whose sexy, androgynous appeal has led to many queer awakenings and fictional crushes. From fashion choices to the iconic hairstyle (and fuckboy attitude), every lesbian knows what it means to be looking very Shane today.  

Hosted by Sapphic Nights – the queer events collective founded by Lucy Hilton, Teya Marazzi and Pippa Palmer (who recently appeared on season two of I Kissed A Girl) – the contest saw hundreds of The L Word fans gather en masse in Victoria Park to judge, vote and crown a winner (stay tuned for their @ reveal). “The Shane competition was a silly way to get a bunch of dykes together on a random Sunday!” Palmer told Dazed. “All Sapphic Nights wants to do is create a space where people can come alone and leave with friends. We want all dykes in whichever form they come to feel welcome and accepted.”

Hosted by Leo Bloomfield, the day consisted of carabiners, camo and a countless number of long shorts. There were also special appearances from the latest IKAG cast, including Almayra Shah (who last featured on Dazed Beauty back in 2023), as well as Dazed friends and family including Elif Gonen, the photographer behind our recent Dyke March coverage, writer Isabella Greenwood, stylist Clara Mary Joy, and photographer Nora Nord.

After a day spent cooking in the lesbian capital that is east London, alongside hundreds of past Hinge matches and situationships, it was announced that Jules Brugnerotti would be crowned the official #1 Shane lookalike. “I’m shocked that I won, I was not expecting to be this big!” they tell Dazed. “At last, something good has come from being compared to Shane all my life. PS: Justice for Jenny!”

While our community continues to be stripped of its rights, and Pride month coverage dwindles globally, there’s something beautiful about still finding the opportunity to celebrate lesbian joy. And for that we thank Sapphic Nights, Shane actor Katherine Moennig (congrats on your two decades of being hot and a lesbian icon) and The L Word gods, and of course our community for continuing to show up and show out.

Same time next June? Let’s go lesbians!