A 32-year-old Russian mommy blogger, Mariana Barutkina, suffered a serious spinal injury after attempting the viral Nicki Minaj stiletto challenge that’s been trending on TikTok.
Barutkina, who recently gave birth and is new to the world of content creation, was filming one of her first videos in hopes of building an online presence. The now-viral clip shows her trying to perform a one-foot squat in high heels while balancing precariously on a baby formula can, which was stacked on a sauce pot atop a marble kitchen counter. The stunt quickly went wrong—the pot slipped, and Barutkina tumbled backward off the counter, fracturing her spine.
In an Instagram post after the incident, she revealed that doctors diagnosed her with a “Th9 compression bending uncomplicated fracture of the body.” She reflected on the incident with a sense of irony, writing: “The irony? Karma? Or just life, which always tests our strength at the most unexpected moment.”
The challenge Barutkina was attempting, known as the “Nicki Minaj High School Challenge,” has inspired many TikTokers to mimic the rapper’s pose from her 2013 “High School” music video—often with increasingly risky twists. Some have attempted it on wine bottles, dumbbells, or traffic cones to gain views.
While Barutkina’s video has attracted attention, her accident serves as a stark warning about the real dangers behind viral trends.
