BEIJING — A Chinese teenager is hoping to boost her chances of winning a new digital lucky charm: American reality TV star Kris Jenner.
Sign up to read this story without ads
Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.
Gen Z social media users are channeling the power of the wealthy Kardashian-Jenner matriarch to express their prosperity in a tough economy. Photos of Jenner, 70, have been circulating in recent days across Chinese platforms such as Weibo, Xiaohongshu and Douyin, often as profile pictures or screen wallpapers.
You have been digitally transformed into a CEO in a suit, a doctor in a white coat, or a Ph.D. a student wearing a graduation gown, is a versatile symbol that reflects the various career goals of users.
Pictures of Jenner, who is believed to be worth several million dollars, are often overlaid with pictures of dollar bills or written in English with phrases such as “Let manifest” or “Rich, stay dead.” For Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote, the hashtag that translates to #KrisJennerManifestation has accumulated nearly 2.7 million views.
“Using her picture as my profile picture brings out this ‘I have the power to be considered worthy’ song,” said Chichi Xu, a university student in Shanghai. Xu said he uses the image to help him build confidence, especially when talking to his research supervisor.
“The way she looks is sharp – she feels like a woman with a strong balance. I want that image to make people take me seriously,” added Xu.
While memes are meant to be playful, the wishful thinking is completely serious. China’s youth are facing a sluggish job market and trying to stay competitive amid slow economic growth.
Digital hope is different from the “lying” mentality that has prevailed for years among Chinese youth who retreat in the face of social and economic pressures, doing only the bare minimum to survive.
Chinese social media users say that Jenner’s memes reflect the belief that luck and opportunity will eventually come their way if they are attracted.
“For me, manifestation is really about believing in the power of belief itself,” said George Zhao, a 23-year-old student from Shandong province, who hopes Jenner’s vibes will help him craft an environmental science paper he’s writing. “People make a joke about wanting Jenner’s nine outfits, but I think it’s also kind of good self-direction.”
Jenner — mother of Kourtney Kardashian Barker, Kim Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian and Rob Kardashian, as well as Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner – it is not known that he ever visited China. But here he is known as an entertainment genius with his family. Social media users have dubbed her the “Empress Dowager,” a reference to the woman who ruled China with her youngest son during the late 19th century Qing Dynasty.
FORSUBSCRIBERS
The truth behind the video of ‘stolen dogs’ in China
03:25
Chinese promoter Marcelo Wang, who teaches Mandarin and explains Chinese culture to international audiences, said in a video last week that Jenner is popular in China because she is “one of the hardest working businesswomen in the US and Chinese people really respect hard work.”
Jenner herself acknowledged the trend, commenting that “Y’ALL are doing amazing, sweetie!!!!” in one of Wang’s Instagram videos referencing his catchphrase from a family reality show.
Memes and clips from “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” and other shows have further strengthened the family’s online presence in China. Kim Kardashian, the founder of the fashion brand Skims, talks to Chinese fans on RedNote and the brand is gaining popularity in the country.
Jenner may be the new face of good luck, but she’s just part of a long Chinese Gen Z tradition of praying for good luck. Other symbolic gestures they have converted include using phone cases depicting the Chinese god of wealth, reposting images of goldfish associated with prosperity, and visiting temples to pray for success in their careers, studies or relationships.
As the Year of the Horse approaches this year, some Chinese have decorated their homes with pictures of Draco Malfoy, the actor from the “Harry Potter” movies, because “Malfoy” sounds like “lucky horse” in Chinese.
Jenner is also not the first foreign woman to become a good role model in China thanks to the success of her business and her family, and Maye Musk – the mother of technology billionaire Elon Musk – also gained a lot of fans on the Internet.
Danica Lu, a 23-year-old computer science major from Guangzhou, said she hopes to attract luck to Jenner, “a successful and powerful woman,” as she looks for a job.
He realizes that relying on luck is not enough. “You still have to rely on your hard work. As we say in Chinese, iron becomes stronger when it is hammered,” said Lu.
But for many, the first step to changing their fortunes may be changing their profile picture to that of Kris Jenner.
