From a dance contest to trivia and a runway showdown, Oakland’s Zendaya look-alike contest at Wilma Chan Park on Nov. 20 celebrated more than just finding a doppelgänger. Event organizers aimed to crown a winner who embodied Zendaya’s multi-hyphenate spirit. An Oakland native, graduate of Oakland School for the Arts, movie star, fashion icon, and songstress, Zendaya exemplifies the hustle Oaklanders know well.
The event drew more than 50 people, many fashionably late. They braved the rainy weather — taking advantage of a brief break between downpours — to attend the Zendaya look-alike contest. Many held umbrellas and wrapped themselves in heavy jackets as they cheered on the competition.
Buzz around look-alike contests began a month ago after Timothée Chalamet crashed his own look-alike contest in New York. Since then, the search for look-alikes has spread worldwide, from a Harry Styles search in London to a Paul Mescal one in Dublin, and even across the Bay at Dolores Park, where a search for Dev Patel’s look-alike took place.
Kelly Brooks, 26, Nate Goodwin, 27, and Jimmy Butler, 25, were among the eager attendees excited to see Oaklanders recreate Zendaya’s iconic looks. “We’re hoping to see some Challengers fits, maybe some deep cuts. Take me back to Shake It Up and see who has the routine down for her Nicki Minaj car lip sync,” Goodwin told The Oaklandside.
While most of these contests have focused on male celebrities, this look-alike contest was the first to encourage fem contestants.
“I heard about the Dev Patel one, but I wanted something for women, just to get the girls together,” organizer Cassi Simms said.
Simms, 20, and fellow organizers Allura Linares, 19, and Khiara “Yara” Lawrence, 19, had additional goals for this contest, including collecting mutual aid donations to support organizations such as Operation Olive Branch, Food Not Bombs, and Friends of the Congo between competition categories.
The event took contestants through a series of challenges before crowning a winner. A dance-off sent the crowd into a frenzy when 11-year-old Zanayah Porter performed a backflip mid-competition. Though Porter didn’t win, she could be spotted wearing the “Miss Zendaya” sash and flower crown the winner, Zainab Bansfield, 24, shared with her just moments after the competition ended.
Bansfield, who received a $40 cash prize, hair products by the Black-owned brand Carol’s Daughter, and Martinnelli’s sparkling cider, became a Zendaya fan after watching Disney’s Shake It Up.
“She was one of the first people that I really saw myself in on TV. I’m half white, half Black, just like Zendaya,” Bansfield said. “I feel so honored that the people here today saw Zendaya in me because she’s such an amazing, wonderful, bright, and gorgeous soul.”
