Why Chinese social media users are changing their profile picture to Kris Jenner

Thousands of social media users in China are changing their social media profiles to Kris Jenner.

While no one is quite sure when the trend began, it went viral over the weekend. Jenner, the mother of Kim, Khloé, Kourtney, Rob, as well as Kendall and Kylie Jenner, appears in reality TV shows. The self-described ‘momager’ (mom plus manager) of the Kardashians is rather popular in China.

The matriarch of the family and executive producer of their reality show is nicknamed the “Queen Mother” in China.

But what happened? What do we know?

Let’s take a closer look.

‘Queen Mother’

Social media users on popular Chinese platforms such as Weibo and RedNote are changing their social media profiles to pictures of Jenner and sharing images of her. They are doing so in hopes that it will bring them success and good fortune.

According to Business Insider, on RedNote, the hashtag #krisjenner has charted around 52.9 million views and over 99,000 posts. Users are changing their profile pictures to Jenner’s image and “praying” to her.

More from Explainers

Why mum friend groups turn toxic — and what's really driving the drama Telangana parents perform their dead son’s wedding every year: Here's why

Many posts that reference manifesting money, jobs and luxury are accompanied by images of Jenner surrounded by cash and diamonds. One of the most common trends on RedNote is manifesting a net worth of nine figures.

“Everyone, stay wealthy!” wrote one RedNote user. “Everyone, keep that 9-figure bank balance!”

A RedNote user named KKzymiaomiao, calling Kris Jenner “The Empress Dowager”, shared wallpapers of her raising a glass in celebration against a backdrop of glowing banknotes.

Another user posted an image of Jenner with an offer letter, writing: “Effortlessly submit resumes and land offers.”

“Hiring me is the company’s honour,” the user added.

Editor’s Picks

1

What are salmon sperm facials popular among Hollywood celebs?

ABC.Net quoted a 22-year-old in southern China’s Guangdong province named Skye as saying that she was among those netizens who had done so. She said she hoped it would bring her good results from her gym sessions.

“People are all creating and sharing customised Kris on RedNote,” she told the outlet. “People admire her wealth, and everyone’s just looking for good luck. I’ve been watching Keeping Up with the Kardashians for a few years. She [Kris Jenner] has a very feminine personality, so I think creating an image of her with big muscles will leave a sense of contrast and is quite funny. I made this one for myself and others who might want it.”

Over 700 people liked Skye’s picture. Dozens of people thanked her and began using the same image.

According to BBC, the trend has also made its way to Douyin, China’s version of TikTok. Both videos using Jenner’s image and videos explaining the trend have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times over the past few days.

‘Redefining themselves’

Pan Wang, an associate professor in Chinese and Asian studies at UNSW, told the outlet this was nothing new. Wang said women sometimes replaced their profile photos with images of female Chinese actors.

“Through redefining one’s image, they are redefining the value and existence of themselves,” she said. “By replacing their headshots with idols of the generation, often an idealised image of a woman, people will gain power and confidence through the attention that comes with the image.”

Wang also suggested this was a way of sinicisation, or assimilating into Chinese culture. “In some of the pictures, she is addressed like a Chinese empress. In some others, she is against the backdrop of a picture of Shanghai or a Chinese national flag,” Wang said. “Through localisation, people are turning a foreign idol into a Chinese cultural icon. They would be able to gain a group identity through sharing admiration for their idol and the process of reshaping her image.”

According to BBC, TikTok creator Marcelo Wang directed the attention of many to the “super random” trend.

Wang told viewers the trend had increased “because Kris Jenner is one of the hardest-working businesswomen in the US (Rs. 79.2 lakh), and Chinese people really respect hard work”. “Cosplaying Kris Jenner is like a Gen Z funny way to manifest success,” he added.

Jenner also commented on a video posted by Wang, writing “you’re ALL doing amazing, sweetie!!!!” This was a reference to a famed quote from an episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians.

FAQs

1) Why are Chinese users using Kris Jenner as their profile picture?
Many users believe that using her image helps “manifest” wealth, success and good fortune.

2) Where is this trend happening?
The trend is mainly visible on Chinese platforms like RedNote, Weibo and Douyin (China’s version of TikTok).

3) Is this the first time such a trend has happened in China?
No. Experts say people in China have previously used images of celebrities or idealised figures as profile pictures to express identity and gain confidence.

With inputs from agencies