To add to this, it’s widely used in Brazil who copied it from surf culture.
China also uses it as part of their one hand counting system. To them it’s the number 6 (pronounced ‘leo’). The use of it in western culture has allowed them to adopt it as a way of saying something is cool. They will say 666 (pronounced “leo leo leo”) while making the hand gesture to say something is cool. This fact was very fun to explain to my ultra conservative family back in the states.
Source: I taught in China for nine years in an international school with a very large Brazilian community.
To add to this, it’s widely used in Brazil who copied it from surf culture.
China also uses it as part of their one hand counting system. To them it’s the number 6 (pronounced ‘leo’). The use of it in western culture has allowed them to adopt it as a way of saying something is cool. They will say 666 (pronounced “leo leo leo”) while making the hand gesture to say something is cool. This fact was very fun to explain to my ultra conservative family back in the states.
Source: I taught in China for nine years in an international school with a very large Brazilian community.