Arabic version: كريس جينر تصبح اتجاه صورة الملف الشخصي الفيروسي في الصين

Thousands of Chinese social media users have been changing their profile photos to images of US celebrity Kris Jenner in hopes it will bring them success and good fortune. According to ABC News, Jenner, often referred to as the “Queen Mother” in China, has gained immense popularity among young users.

The trend, which appears to have gone viral over the past weekend, is characterized by users replacing their profile photos on platforms like RedNote with customized images of Jenner. One user, a 22-year-old from Guangdong province named Skye, created an AI-generated avatar of Jenner with a muscular upper body, expressing her admiration for Jenner’s wealth and saying, “People admire her wealth, and everyone’s just looking for good luck.”

Experts suggest that this phenomenon reflects a process of sinicisation, where Jenner is being embraced as a Chinese cultural icon. Pan Wang, an associate professor at UNSW, noted that young users are redefining their identities through the use of celebrity images, gaining confidence and a sense of empowerment from the attention these avatars attract.

Another user, Rao Yuting, shared her own profile picture of Jenner reading books in hopes of passing an important exam. She noted that her friend experienced good fortune after adopting a similar image, highlighting the trend’s emotional significance for many participants.

The trend has not only taken hold on RedNote but has also spread to TikTok, where beauty blogger Marcelo Wang’s video about the phenomenon garnered over 307,000 likes. Jenner herself “liked” and commented on Wang’s video, saying, “You’re doing amazing, sweetie!!!!” This further fueled the excitement surrounding this cultural shift.