Topics: Nicki Minaj, Russia, Social Media, Instagram, Viral, Celebrity
An influencer who attempted a viral challenge inspired by rapper Nicki Minaj has suffered a catastrophic injury.
The so-called 'stiletto challenge' has taken social media by storm recently, apparently inspired by a pose Minaj serves up in the music video of her 2013 song, 'High School.'
In the video, the rapper can be seen sporting a pair of towering, glittery heels by the side of a pool.
She then impressively shows off her balance by crouching down in the stilettos and crossing one leg over the other and appearing frozen in the pose while both feet touch the floor.
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However, while Minaj pulls off the stunt from the ground, TikTokers have taken the trend to new heights, quite literally, by finding unusual household items to balance on and while perched on top of a worktop or table.
Now, as probably expected, one such influencer who put the challenge to the test has ended up in the ER with a traumatic injury.
Marina Barutkina from Russia tried to stand with one foot on a jar of baby formula placed on top of a pan on a kitchen counter, all while wearing stilettos and trying to hold another hefty canister of food.
However, the 32-year-old's attempt saw her go flying seconds later as she fell from the counter to the floor.
The clip posted on August 1 has since gone viral around the world, and while Marina says she's enjoying her new 'star status', she's also left to deal with a compression flexion fracture to her spine from the stunt.
The mom, who gave birth just eight weeks before breaking her back, wrote in a roughly translated post on Instagram: "I decided to start a blog, my first content shoot — and here I am leaving the doctor’s with a diagnosis.
“Irony? Karma? Or just life, which always tests our strength at the most unexpected moment.”
She added that her account will continue to post about 'life' and 'happy motherhood' with 'motivation to move forward' after her injury.
Since the post, Marina has also been on the sharp end of some tough criticism as dozens chastised her in the comments for taking part in the challenge instead of attending to her newborn.
"Because of one video, which was poorly filmed, I woke up as a popular person,” she said in a follow-up post. “People, thank you for the popularity, for your concerns and for your comments. I am doing great, I am following the recommendations and now I live in the status of a ‘star.’”
"For those who are worried about my child, I will also reassure you, he has two nannies and while I was filming, one of them was with him," she concluded.
The footage might even have caught the attention of the 'Super Bass' hitmaker herself as the 42-year-old posted a video on her Instagram account days later addressing 'that pose'.
Showing she's still got it 12 years later, the video showed her sporting sky-high stilettos and performing the stunt several times with ease.
However, Minaj also threw in some apparent outtakes in the footage for her Barbz stans that suggest it took her a few tries to nail the pose.
In the caption, she said: "Dear Barbz, about that pose…. Ummm this Chanel dress was just a tad shorter than I thought & the thongs definitely didn’t help. Didn’t want to make it explicit."
Minaj also appeared to clarify some ground rules for her challenge, revealing that it's not about balancing on one leg.
"Both feet on the ground tho. Ten toes," she concluded. "Ima put on a diff outfit that won’t show so much skin & do it again for you guys later. Love."
