Turns out that the Chinese have some pretty funky nicknames for celebs, some that many here in the states wouldn’t even think about using. The fascination in these names came about during this past Sunday’s Super Bowl according to CNN. That’s when Chinese Twitter users were buzzing about the wonderful Fruit Sister who was entertaining fans during half time.
Fruit Sister is their friendly term for Katy Perry and there’s a good reason for it. It refers to her tendency to wear fruity costumes or have fruit on stage. The last bit is odd, but at least it makes sense. From CNN:
In the past, the pop star has performed in sparkly watermelon-cup bras, sung while holding a large inflatable strawberry and even burst out of a giant banana.
She’s also talked about growing and eating her own fruit, so it’s a pretty fair nickname.
Katy Perry isn’t the only celebrity to get a cool Chinese nickname. Plenty of others have the honor and some should be adopted here in the West:
Leonardo DiCaprio – Pikachu
This one actually stems from a joke in Taiwan:
Leonardo DiCaprio is called “Pikachu” in Taiwan.
The joke took off in 2011 after a Taiwanese news anchor struggled with DiCaprio’s name, calling him “Leonardo Pikachu” on TV.
Justin Timberlake – Boss
Seems pretty obvious from his fashion choices, although they probably haven’t met Jay-Z
Jennifer Lawrence – Cousin
This one has nothing to do with Lawrence’s birthplace of Kentucky, instead it stems from another Chinese inside joke:
In the run-up to the 2011 Oscars, hundreds of Chinese Internet users made joke announcements about the results, all claiming they heard them from a “cousin in the Academy.”
It was a playful dig at how some Chinese people are desperate to show they have powerful family members.
But one Chinese Internet user upped the ante, boldly declaring that Lawrence was his cousin and that she had won the Best Actress award.
Ariana Grande – Little Cow
Mariah Carey – Cow Sister
The twin cows actually go together. Carey gets her name because she’s awesome and “cow sister” is a compliment, while Grande gets her’s because she’s the little version of Mariah Carey.
Adam Levine – Flirty Adam
This one is fairly obvious given his status as People’s sexiest man last year. Also isn’t that what his whole career is about at this point? Flirting and pushing a red button.
Nicki Minaj – Numbing-Spicy Chicken
The favorite of the bunch. It comes from Minaj being spicy hot, with a sting that numbs. One wouldn’t usually think of food when seeing her, but I guess that could change.
Benedict Cumberbatch – Curly Blessing
You’d have to prefer the Chinese pronunciation here, Juan Fu. It sounds like a villain you see in Big Trouble in Little China and that’s enough to sell it for me. Get on a remake and hire Cumberbatch for the lead villain role.
Jennifer Lopez – Lord of Butt
Makes perfect sense. Can’t argue with this one or any of the other ones. They’re pretty spot on or fun. Are there any you have heard about?
(Via CNN)
