Who is Mariana Barutkina? All about influencer who broke her spine doing Nicki Minaj High School Stiletto challenge

Russian influencer Mariana Barutkina has gone viral after sustaining a spinal injury while attempting TikTok’s “stiletto challenge,” a trend inspired by Nicki Minaj’s 2013 “High School” music video. As reported by E! News and Men’s Journal on August 5, 2025, the 32-year-old mother attempted the challenge just eight weeks after giving birth, resulting in a compression fracture to her spine.

Barutkina’s version of the challenge involved balancing in high heels on top of a baby formula canister stacked on a saucepan, all placed on a kitchen counter. The pose, designed to Nicki Minaj’s squatted stance in stilettos from a 2013 music video, ended with Barutkina falling backward off the elevated surface. She later shared the clip on Instagram on August 1, captioning it,

“I decided to start blogging… and here I am leaving the doctor diagnosed with Th9 compression bending uncomplicated fracture of the body.”

---

More details about the Nicki Minaj “Stiletto Challenge”

The Nicki Minaj stiletto challenge began gaining traction on TikTok in July 2025, drawing widespread attention for its combination of physical difficulty and risk. As reported by The New York Times on July 24, 2025, the trend invites users to mimic a pose Nicki Minaj originally performed in her 2013 High School music video.

The pose is a single-legged squat with one leg crossed over the other while wearing stilettos. The pose itself is demanding, but TikTok users have elevated the challenge by performing it in precarious setups.

According to the New York Times, common staging props include cookware, soda cans, dumbbells, or even monkey bars. The hashtag #nickiminajchallenge has amassed over 1.3 billion views, with participants performing it with varying levels of difficulty.

Comedian Christina Kirkman balanced on a pot and a soup can, singer Ciara performed it on stacked gym weights. Some users, like circus performer Brianna Kalisch, have gone further. Kalisch climbed a pyramid of 12 champagne bottles, held the pose, and balanced a bottle on her head, getting over two million views in two days.

For others, the challenge has become a form of promotion. A clip from Fenty Beauty showed a woman performing the stunt on a stack of brand products inside a Sephora store.

Meanwhile, users like Francesca Pagan, speaking to the New York Times, acknowledged the dangers of the Nicki Minaj challenge while accepting its appeal in showcasing skill and balance. Pagan also uploaded bloopers showing failed attempts, noting that gymnastics experience helped her complete the move.

Read more: “The same women she hates and beefs with”- Netizens react as Nicki Minaj reveals her new album will be for “women who have been powerful and feared”

---

Barutkina’s recovery and response

In both her original and follow-up posts, Mariana Barutkina addressed her condition and the public response. She confirmed she was recovering well, writing that she was “following the guidelines” and had adapted to her sudden online recognition. Referencing the fall, she said,

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

She also thanked followers for their support, writing,

“People, thank you for your popularity, for your concerns and for your comments.”

Barutkina also addressed concerns about her infant, saying,

“Whoever worries about my child is also calm, he has two nannies and while I was filming one of them was with him.”

---

According to E! News and Men’s Journal, Barutkina posted the video trying the Nicki Minaj challenge on July 31, 2025, and posted about her diagnosis the following day. The incident is one of the most serious known injuries connected to the viral Nicki Minaj challenge, which continues to gain traction across TikTok.

Edited by Bharath S