{"id":363367,"date":"2026-04-04T11:33:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T11:33:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/363367\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T11:33:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T11:33:09","slug":"young-people-in-china-have-found-a-digital-lucky-charm-in-kris-jenner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/363367\/","title":{"rendered":"Young people in China have found a digital lucky charm in Kris Jenner"},"content":{"rendered":"

BEIJING \u2014 Young people in China<\/a> hoping to boost their chances of success have a new digital good luck charm: American reality TV star Kris Jenner.<\/p>\n

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Gen Z social media users are channeling the wealthy Kardashian-Jenner matriarch\u2019s \u201cmomager\u201d energy to manifest their own prosperity in a tough economy. Images of Jenner, 70, have been proliferating in recent days across Chinese platforms such as Weibo, Xiaohongshu and Douyin, most commonly in profile pictures or screen wallpapers. <\/p>\n

Digitally transformed into a CEO in a suit, a doctor in a white coat, or a Ph.D. student in a graduation gown, she is a shape-shifting symbol reflecting users\u2019 varying career goals.<\/p>\n

The photos of Jenner, who is believed to have a net worth of hundreds of millions of dollars, are often layered with images of dollar bills or captioned in English with phrases such as \u201cLet\u2019s manifest\u201d or \u201cKeep rich, stay slay.\u201d On Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote<\/a>, a hashtag that translates to #KrisJennerManifestation has amassed nearly 2.7 million views.<\/p>\n

\u201cUsing her photo as my profile picture gives off this \u2018I\u2019m a force to be reckoned with\u2019 vibe,\u201d said Chichi Xu, a university student in Shanghai. Xu said she uses the image to help her feel more confident, especially when talking to her research supervisor.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe look in her eyes is sharp \u2014 it feels like a powerful woman who\u2019s sizing you up. I want that image to make people take me seriously,\u201d Xu added.<\/p>\n

While the memes are meant to be playful, the desire for good luck is entirely serious. Young people in China face a cutthroat job market<\/a> and are trying to stay competitive amid slowing economic growth<\/a>. <\/p>\n

The digital optimism stands in contrast to the \u201clying flat\u201d mindset that has prevailed for years among young Chinese who withdraw in the face of social and economic pressures, doing only the bare minimum necessary to get by. <\/p>\n

Chinese social media users say the Jenner memes reflect a belief that good luck and opportunity might eventually come their way if they can only attract it.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, manifestation is really about believing in the power of belief itself,\u201d said George Zhao, a 23-year-old student from Shandong province, who hopes Jenner vibes can help him ace an environmental science paper he\u2019s writing. \u201cPeople joke about wanting Jenner\u2019s nine\u2011figure assets, but I think it\u2019s also a kind of positive self\u2011guidance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jenner \u2014 the mother of Kourtney Kardashian Barker, Kim Kardashian, Khlo\u00e9 Kardashian and Rob Kardashian, as well as Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner \u2014 is not known to have ever visited China. But she is well known here as the mastermind of her family\u2019s entertainment and business empire. Social media users have nicknamed her the \u201cEmpress Dowager,\u201d a reference to the woman who ruled China through her young son during the Qing Dynasty in the late 19th century.<\/p>\n

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Chinese influencer Marcelo Wang, who teaches Mandarin and explains Chinese pop culture to an international audience, said in a video last week that Jenner is popular in China because she is \u201cone of the hardest-working businesswomen in the U.S. and Chinese people really respect hard work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jenner herself has acknowledged the trend, commenting \u201cYou\u2019re ALL doing amazing, sweetie!!!!\u201d on one of Wang\u2019s Instagram videos<\/a> in a reference to her catchphrase from the family\u2019s reality shows.<\/p>\n

Viral memes and clips from \u201cKeeping Up With the Kardashians\u201d and other shows have further cemented the family\u2019s online presence in China. Kim Kardashian<\/a>, founder of the fashion brand Skims, engages with Chinese fans on RedNote and the brand is steadily gaining popularity in the country.<\/p>\n

Jenner might be the new face of luck, but she is just part of the long tradition of Chinese Gen Z praying for fortune. Other symbolic gestures they have turned to include using phone cases featuring the Chinese god of wealth, reposting images of golden fish that are traditionally associated with prosperity, and visiting temples to pray for success in their careers, studies or relationships. <\/p>\n

\"Image:Two women taking photos in front of a Lunar New Year poster featuring English actor Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy at a mall in Shangqiu, China, in February.AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

As the Year of the Horse<\/a> came around this year, some Chinese decorated their homes with pictures of Draco Malfoy, a character in the \u201cHarry Potter\u201d movies, because \u201cMalfoy\u201d sounds like \u201clucky horse\u201d in Chinese.<\/p>\n

Jenner is also not the first foreign woman to be held up as a role model in China because of her and her family\u2019s business success, with Maye Musk \u2014 the mother of tech billionaire Elon Musk<\/a> \u2014 also gaining a large online following<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Danica Lu, a 23-year-old computer science major from Guangzhou, said she hopes to attract some luck from Jenner, an \u201caccomplished and powerful woman,\u201d as she looks for a job.<\/p>\n

She realizes that relying on luck is far from enough. \u201cYou still have to rely on your own hard work. As we say in Chinese, iron only becomes strong after it\u2019s hammered,\u201d Lu said. <\/p>\n

But for many, the first step toward changing their fortunes might be changing their profile picture to that of Kris Jenner.<\/p>\n