Joyce Yip, a 39-year-old entrepreneur in Guangzhou, in southern China, has a new celebrity crush: Melania Trump.
The two-time United States first lady has become an online celebrity in China, especially among women.
That may be surprising given her husband’s hostility towards China, but social media posts reflect admiration for her independence, taste in fashion and how she is raising her teenage son.
“She looks heroic, elegant and resolute, so powerful and majestic, loving it so much,” Yip wrote on the Instagram-like platform RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu, after Trump’s inauguration in January.
After the first lady wore a wide-brimmed hat to the inauguration, similar products appeared on online shops. Within 48 hours of the event, knitting influencers on the social media platform had posted videos showing people how to make their own.
