BEIJING — Young people in China hoping to boost their chances of success have a new digital good luck charm: American reality TV star Kris Jenner.
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Gen Z social media users are channeling the wealthy Kardashian-Jenner matriarch’s “momager” 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.
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’ varying career goals.
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 “Let’s manifest” or “Keep rich, stay slay.” On Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote, a hashtag that translates to #KrisJennerManifestation has amassed nearly 2.7 million views.
“Using her photo as my profile picture gives off this ‘I’m a force to be reckoned with’ vibe,” 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.
“The look in her eyes is sharp — it feels like a powerful woman who’s sizing you up. I want that image to make people take me seriously,” Xu added.
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 and are trying to stay competitive amid slowing economic growth.
The digital optimism stands in contrast to the “lying flat” 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.
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.
“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 vibes can help him ace an environmental science paper he’s writing. “People joke about wanting Jenner’s nine‑figure assets, but I think it’s also a kind of positive self‑guidance.”
Jenner — the mother of Kourtney Kardashian Barker, Kim Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian and Rob Kardashian, as well as Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner — is not known to have ever visited China. But she is well known here as the mastermind of her family’s entertainment and business empire. Social media users have nicknamed her the “Empress Dowager,” a reference to the woman who ruled China through her young son during the Qing Dynasty in the late 19th century.
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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 “one of the hardest-working businesswomen in the U.S. and Chinese people really respect hard work.”
Jenner herself has acknowledged the trend, commenting “You’re ALL doing amazing, sweetie!!!!” on one of Wang’s Instagram videos in a reference to her catchphrase from the family’s reality shows.
Viral memes and clips from “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” and other shows have further cemented the family’s online presence in China. Kim Kardashian, founder of the fashion brand Skims, engages with Chinese fans on RedNote and the brand is steadily gaining popularity in the country.
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.
As the Year of the Horse came around this year, some Chinese decorated their homes with pictures of Draco Malfoy, a character in the “Harry Potter” movies, because “Malfoy” sounds like “lucky horse” in Chinese.
Jenner is also not the first foreign woman to be held up as a role model in China because of her and her family’s business success, with Maye Musk — the mother of tech billionaire Elon Musk — also gaining a large online following.
Danica Lu, a 23-year-old computer science major from Guangzhou, said she hopes to attract some luck from Jenner, an “accomplished and powerful woman,” as she looks for a job.
She realizes that relying on luck is far from enough. “You still have to rely on your own hard work. As we say in Chinese, iron only becomes strong after it’s hammered,” Lu said.
But for many, the first step toward changing their fortunes might be changing their profile picture to that of Kris Jenner.
