Dating Celebrity Lookalikes

I was intrigued by Red Herring's article today called, "I Want Brad Pitt", which discusses a Bellevue, Washington startup called Eyealike looking to use facial recognition software through mainstream dating sites to help singles find celebrity lookalikes to date.

There were a couple of interesting points made in the article, including how the larger dating sites might feel about the use of this technology, and just how accurate this facial recognition software would actually be. I must admit that I'll keep a close eye on Eyealike for this reason alone, particularly because of the Brad Pitt angle.

A bit of personal background: years ago I lived in the basement suite of a house with three single men living upstairs, where one had an uncanny resemblance to Brad Pitt. Now he never thought so, but I teased it him about it anyway. Several years after we'd all parted ways, I ran into the celebrity lookalike in grocery story with his hair dyed black and sporting a pair of sunglasses. "What's up with the hair?" I asked him, to which he quietly replied, "Do you remember how you thought I looked like Brad Pitt? Well, I guess you aren't the only one." My friend had been discovered, and was acting as Brad Pitt's body double in a movie that was filming locally.

So now I can't help but wonder: will my former roommate show up in the search results for Brad Pitt lookalikes if he happens to have an online dating profile posted with a picture? For that matter, would I show up as well, considering I've had countless people stop me on the street throughout the years thinking I was a young-looking, bespectacled Kirstie Alley? And if I did, how would I feel if I did show up on these searches for celebrity lookalikes? Would I want to date someone who'd found me that way?

Eyealike is still a new concept, and they have yet to sign any contracts with the larger dating sites to offer their service as a tie-in. Still, Eyealike's front page currently states, "Eyealike will search the web, including top dating sites, finding people who visually match that photo," which makes me wonder: by uploading my own image to any major dating site, have I now waived my photo rights so that other companies can use it as they see fit?

I'd like to hear your take on this issue, and how you'd feel if your dating profile picture showed up as a 'celebrity lookalike' on a site such as Eyealike. I'll be keeping close tabs on it myself, and will post in the blog any news I find related to the service and its legalities.