The risks of Nicki Minaj’s ‘stiletto challenge’: influencer’s TikTok stunt leads to spinal injury

EVER tried to walk a mile in Nicki Minaj’s heels? Russian influencer Mariana Barutkina did and paid a high price for it.

- VUYILE MADWANTSI

What started as a playful attempt to join a viral TikTok trend ended with a fractured spine and a powerful lesson for us all about social media, safety, and why chasing likes shouldn’t mean risking your life.

When virality turns dangerous

If you've scrolled through TikTok lately, you’ve probably seen it: people balancing precariously in stilettos, recreating Nicki Minaj’s iconic High School pose.

The Nicki Minaj Stiletto Challenge has swept through social media feeds, with users taking the dare to new (and dangerous) heights, balancing on everything from dumbbells to wine bottles to kitchen counters, all for those viral views.

Mariana Barutkina, a 32-year-old mommy blogger from Russia, became an unexpected cautionary tale in this trend. Just weeks after giving birth, she attempted the challenge, balancing in stilettos on a pot and a canister of baby formula atop her kitchen counter, reported TMZ.

The result? The pot slipped, Barutkina toppled backwards, and, suddenly, a fun video turned into a worrying trip to the ER.

The anatomy of a spinal fracture:

Barutkina was diagnosed with a T9 compression fracture, a break in the ninth thoracic vertebra of her spine.