Mom Influencer Breaks Her Spine Doing the Nicki Minaj “Stiletto Challenge” — Just 8 Weeks After Giving Birth
Ladies, let this be your official PSA: not every TikTok trend is worth risking your vertebrae.
Meet Mariana Vasiuc, a 32-year-old beautician and new mom from Yekaterinburg, Russia, who is going viral after attempting the now-infamous “Stiletto Challenge” — and suffering a major injury in the process.
Inspired by Nicki Minaj’s iconic crouch pose in the High School music video (you know the one — heels, squatted like a baddie, balancing like it’s nothing), the challenge dares TikTok users to slip into stilettos and strike the pose on top of random household objects. Think milk crates, yoga balls, kitchen counters — basically, chaos.
Well, Mariana decided to shoot her shot and make this challenge her influencer debut. Problem is — she did it just eight weeks postpartum… on top of a tub of baby milk… wearing heels.
Yes, really.
In a now-viral video posted to her Instagram, Mariana can be seen wearing a black sports bra, leggings, and some seriously sky-high stilettos while trying to balance on the tub, which is sitting on her kitchen counter. At first, she looks like she might actually pull it off — someone’s holding her hand as she gets steady.
Then it all goes wrong. She lets go and immediately falls backwards off the counter. Hard.
The camera quickly turns away as people in the room scream and rush over to help. But the damage was done. Mariana later confirmed she suffered a compression flexion fracture — a serious spinal injury where part of the vertebra collapses due to physical trauma. According to the Cleveland Clinic, these injuries are no joke and are often caused by high-impact falls.
Mariana’s caption on ... says it all:
“I decided to start blogging, the first content shooting – and here I am leaving the doctor diagnosed with a ‘compression flexion fracture.’ The irony? Karma? Or just life, which always tests our strength at the most unexpected moment.”
She now has to wear a back brace for three months but is staying positive through it all. And in true influencer fashion, she’s using the moment to pivot:
“Mariana is here to talk about life, happy motherhood and motivation to move only forward.”
We’ll give her this — the dedication is real. But TikTok has started cracking down on this stunt. Videos tagged with the Stiletto Challenge now come with a warning:
“This post may not be comfortable for some audiences. Log in to make the most of your experience.”
Translation? TikTok knows people are doing the absolute most and is trying to save spines before someone else ends up in traction.
So here’s the moral of the story: love Nicki, slay the pose — but maybe keep it on the floor.
Stay safe, and please don’t try this at home.