Russian influencer & new mum, 32, tries viral high heels-balance challenge, falls & fractures spine

A 32-year-old Russian influencer and a new mother who tried to balance in high heels on a jar of baby food, placed on a saucepan on her countertop, ended up falling and injuring her spine.

Mariana Barutkina was attempting a viral challenge inspired by singer Nicki Minaj's song "High School", which involves participants balancing in high heels while posing dramatically to the music.

Barutkina's failed attempt at the challenge came less than two months after giving birth in June 2025, according to her Instagram.

Her injury has also sparked a wave of concern online for those attempting to follow the trend.

Fractured spine during challenge

The clip, posted on Instagram on Jul. 31, showed Barutkina balancing on the collection of items on her kitchen counter, while holding another tin of baby food in her hands.

However, she lost her balance and toppled off the side of the table as the camera panned away.

In the caption, Barutkina wrote in Russian that she had decided to start blogging and filming content, but ended up at the doctor with a vertebral fracture in her spine instead, New York Post reported.

“The irony? Karma? Or just life, which always tests our strength at the most unexpected moment,” she wrote.

According to Russian media, she will have to wear a special corset, a medical device that supports and stabilises the spine, for three months owing to her injury.

Barutkina, who brands herself as a mum influencer, with more than 1,500 followers on Instagram, commented on the mishap in a subsequent post.

"Because of one video, which was unsuccessfully filmed, I woke up a popular person," she wrote.

She clarified in response to commenters that her newborn was being cared for by a nanny during the incident.

Background

The Nicki Minaj stiletto challenge has seen content creators trying to replicate the singer's iconic pose in her 2013 "High School" video.

As the challenge gained traction on social media, some users upped the difficulty level by posing on top of stacks of books, dumbbells and even bottles of wine.

Top image from mariana_vasuic/Instagram