Thousands of Chinese social media users have been changing their profile photos to images of US celebrity Kris Jenner, hoping it will bring them success and good fortune. The trend, which appears to have gone viral over the past weekend, has spread across platforms like RedNote and TikTok.
One user, a 22-year-old from Guangdong province who goes by Skye, told the ABC she replaced her profile picture with an AI-generated avatar of Jenner with a muscular upper body. 'People admire her wealth, and everyone's just looking for good luck,' she said. Her post received over 700 likes in three days.
Dr Pan Wang, an associate professor in Chinese and Asian studies at UNSW, said the trend reflects a process of sinicisation, where Jenner is becoming a 'Chinese cultural icon.' In some images, she is depicted as a Chinese empress or set against backdrops like Shanghai or the Chinese national flag.
Another RedNote user, Rao Yuting, uses a picture of Jenner reading books in her profile, hoping to pass a national public servants' exam. 'I think young people these days are into mysticism—not just out of superstition, but more seeking for a form of emotional support,' she said.
Chinese beauty blogger Marcelo Wang posted a video about the trend on TikTok, which garnered 307,000 likes. Jenner herself 'liked' and commented on the video on Sunday.
