How Kris Jenner became China’s lucky charm: Why Chinese netizens are changing their profile pictures to the Kardashian matriarch

In China’s fiercely competitive social media world, where a profile picture can say as much as a résumé, a bizarre new trend has taken over. Instead of selfies, shop signs, or nature shots, thousands of users on Chinese platforms like Weibo, RedNote, and Douyin are swapping their avatars for a very specific face: Kris Jenner, the American “momager” and matriarch of the Kardashian family.

The trend is less about fandom and more about something that feels almost spiritual - a digital prayer to success, money, and a life sprinkled with diamonds. But how did this wave spring out of nowhere?

Kris Jenner, the Chinese ‘Queen Mother’ online

In China, Kris Jenner is more than just a TV personality; she is often called the “Queen Mother,” a title that matches the image of a powerful, money-savvy matriarch. According to Reuters, thousands of users on Chinese platforms have changed their profile pictures to her image, often pairing her with money, glitter, and success-themed captions.

On RedNote, the hashtag #krisjenner has gathered around 52.9 million views and over 99,000 posts, as reported by Business Insider. Many users are “praying” to her in a playful, meme-like way, hoping she will magically upgrade their bank balances, jobs, and lifestyles.

Common posts talk about manifesting nine-figure net worths, luxurious careers, and effortless fitness results, with one user writing, “Everyone, stay wealthy! Everyone, keep that 9-figure bank balance!”

Kris Jenner is being compared to ‘the Empress Dowager’

Some users have gone even further, embedding Kris Jenner into Chinese visual culture. A RedNote user named KKzymiaomiao refers to her as the “Empress Dowager.”

Another post shows her holding a job offer letter with the caption, “Effortlessly submit resumes and land offers,” followed by, “Hiring me is the company’s honour.” This kind of customised art shows that the trend is less about copying Western culture and more about reimagining a foreign celebrity within distinctly Chinese tropes of power, status, and luck.

A work-ethic icon with a meme twist

The trend has also caught the attention of TikTok-style creators commenting on its oddness. Marcelo Wang, a TikTok creator, told BBC that the trend has grown because “Kris Jenner is one of the hardest-working businesswomen in the US, and Chinese people really respect hard work.” He added that cosplaying Kris Jenner has become “a Gen Z funny way to manifest success.”

Not a novel trend in China

Pan Wang, an associate professor in Chinese and Asian studies at UNSW, told BBC that this kind of image-switch is not new. She said that women in China often replace profile pictures with images of admired female actors to “redefine the value and existence of themselves.”

According to her, “by replacing their headshots with idols of the generation, often an idealised image of a woman, people gain power and confidence through the attention that comes with the image.” She also points out that in some images, Jenner appears against Chinese backdrops like Shanghai skylines or the national flag, which she calls a form of “sinicisation” - turning a foreign idol into a local cultural icon so that fans can share a sense of group identity.