Mom, HONG KONGOh!
Elon Musk, a tech millionaire, is already well-known in China, but his mother, who is 76 years old, is also quickly becoming well-known there.
Model and nutritionist Maye Musk has been visiting China frequently since last year and has amassed a sizable online following from Chinese people who are interested in learning more about the lady who reared their business idol and rose to fame as a silver-haired influencer.
She makes it a point to encourage her son’s business endeavors while traveling, mentioning on social media how many Teslas she sees on Chinese roads despite the fact that domestic competitors like BYD are becoming a bigger threat to the American electric vehicle manufacturer.
She also has a lot to say about the nation.
She posted on her son’s social networking platform, Xin October, that China is so progressed in terms of roads, tunnels, buildings, infrastructure, and ports. Every time I visit, I’m impressed.
In February, Musk told Women’s Wear Daily that she traveled to 12 Chinese cities last year to lecture and model. She dismissed the notion that her trip to China would be hampered by tensions between China and the United States in an interview with the magazine in New York.
“Everyone is happy, friendly, and fun when I go to China,” she remarked. Now, even my pals who are here want to go to China.
Musk has rapidly amassed a sizable following on Chinese social media, including over 575,000 on Xiaohongshu, the country’s Instagram equivalent, and 355,000 on Douyin, the country’s TikTok similar.
In China, a nation that is rapidly aging and where people are becoming more concerned about aging properly, Musk is one of several silver-haired influences.
One individual commented about Xiaohongshu that although physical beauty wanes with time, her manner grows more sophisticated and her grace more noble, which is truly admirable.
Ashley Dudarenok, the creator of ChoZan, a Hong Kong-based digital consultancy with a focus on China, stated that a large portion of her fame is due to her 2019 book, A Woman Makes a Plan, which was translated into Chinese the following year.
According to Dudarenok, the book follows Musk’s unusual career path and her battle to support her three children alone after divorcing their father, Errol Musk, at the age of thirty-one.
According to Dudarenok, she essentially did things her way. That was one statement that struck a deep chord.
She claimed that the other reason for the popularity was that people were curious about how to truly create and nurture millionaires.
Despite the Chinese government cracking down on the feminist movement and claiming that it is their responsibility to increase the country’s birth rate, the book has found a readership among Chinese working women who are becoming more and more defiant of social pressure to marry and start a family.
All girls should read this! One user on Xiaohongshu said, “Thank you for demonstrating to us the strength and tenacity of women.”
Maye Musk is truly developing her own personality, according to Dudarenok, even though Elon generated a lot of the initial interest in her.
According to Dudarenok, older Chinese people who used to spend all of their free time and money on their grandchildren and other family members have just come to the realization that they still have 20 or 30 years of their lives ahead of them.
According to her, they have interests and take care of their appearance, diet, skin care, and other aspects of their lives. Additionally, kids adore seeing role models who are aging well.
For Musk, that entails getting featured on magazine covers and having several chances to promote goods. This year, she attended an event in Shanghai for the sportswear brand Fila and walked the runway for the Chinese clothing company JNBY.
She has also been featured in smartphone ads for Chinese consumer electronics maker Oppo and is a global brand ambassador for the Chinese mattress company AISE Baobao, which is establishing a store in Shanghai this month.
Her son might benefit from her fame in China. Even while Elon Musk is still highly regarded, according to Dudarenok, public sentiment has cooled since he contributed to the campaign of Donald Trump, the president-elect, who has promised to be strong on China.
Musk may share some of the blame if U.S.-China relations worsen under the new administration, given his close links to Trump, who has requested Musk to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency.
According to Dudarenok, Elon Musk’s future political career and commercial success in China will be even more humane thanks to Maye Musk’s positive reputation.
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