Nicki Minaj Stiletto Challenge: Origin, Risks and a Safe Version

The Stiletto Challenge, also called the Nicki Minaj Challenge, means copying a pose from the 2013 “High School” video: crouched in stilettos, one leg crossed over the other, back straight. In summer 2025 TikTok turned it into a balancing act on dumbbells, saucepans and bottles, with more than 125,000 videos and several serious injuries. Here’s where it came from, why it caught on, what it cost some people, and how to make a version that works without leaving the floor. If you want it seen, a boost in TikTok likes beats a tower of pots.

Where did the Stiletto Challenge come from?

One second of the “High School” video

It all goes back to a shot from 2013. At the 34 second mark of “High School”, featuring Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj sits by a pool, crouched on huge heels, one leg crossed over the other, back perfectly straight. Both feet stay on the ground. Nobody paid much attention for twelve years.

From a joke in April to 70 million views in July

Know Your Meme dates the first known attempt to April 29, 2025: user @1jacore tries the pose by a pool, no heels, captioned “how did she even think to do this?”. It passed 1.6 million plays. That’s the one I’ve put below, because it shows the original pose, the one that only takes balance.

@1jacore

how did she even think to do this? 😭😭😭

♬ High School – Nicki Minaj

Then it escalated fast. On July 8, @spencerclark held the pose in clear heels (9 million plays). On the 15th, @uwantaqua did it standing on an upright dumbbell (17 million). On the 17th, @kristy.sarah stacked several dumbbells and hit more than 70 million plays in three days, per Know Your Meme. The comments declared she had “won this trend”. On August 5, Nicki Minaj answered on Instagram with her own attempt, captioned “Dear Barbz, about that pose…”, noting she kept “both feet on the ground”.

What is the challenge, exactly?

The basic version: high heels, cross one leg in front of the other, sink into a squat with your back straight, hands resting or crossed, and hold for a few seconds to “High School”. That’s already hard, and that’s where Nicki Minaj’s pose ends.

The TikTok version adds something unstable under the standing foot: a dumbbell, a saucepan, a formula tin, a champagne bottle, a banister. Belgian outlet 7sur7 described it in August 2025 as a contest for the most absurd object. That one-upmanship is what eventually sent people to the ER. People magazine summed up the best known case in the video below.

@people

The viral #NickiMinajChallenge took a turn for influencer Mariana Vasiuc, who fell and broke her spine as a result. 😬 Read the full story at the link in our bio.

♬ original sound – People Magazine

Is the Stiletto Challenge dangerous?

The floor pose, no, if you have basic balance. The raised versions, yes, and the facts proved it. On July 31, 2025, Russian influencer Mariana Barutkina (called Mariana Vasiuc by People) posted the video of her fall: up on a kitchen counter, in heels, one foot on a saucepan and a tin of baby formula, she tips backward. The diagnosis, as reported by TODAY: a compression fracture of the T9 vertebra, eight weeks after giving birth.

On August 7, 2025, Toronto orthopedic surgeon Dr. Jihad Abouali (Michael Garron Hospital) told Global News what worries him: meniscus or ACL tears from the deeply bent knee, and spinal injuries when people land on their back. He said he sees about one patient a week hurt by a social media trend. TikTok, for its part, added the warning “Participating in this activity may result in injury” to some videos (75secondes, August 6, 2025).

My take: the pose looks great, but a stack of objects isn’t worth a vertebra. No view count makes up for that.

Why did everyone jump on it?

Because you get it in one image: heels, a crossed leg, balance that looks impossible. No sound or text needed to understand what’s at stake. Then there’s the thrill of the fail. People watch to see if it holds, and Mariana Barutkina’s fall video neared a million views, according to TODAY.

Celebrities did the rest. Besides Nicki Minaj, Us Weekly mentions Dancing with the Stars pro Witney Carson balancing on her trophy in August, and Know Your Meme notes dancer Honey Balenciaga striking the pose on stage at a Beyoncé concert on July 14, 2025. By December 2025, Us Weekly listed the Nicki Minaj Challenge among the most viral TikTok trends of the year, with more than 130,000 videos under the hashtag.

Like any heavily watched challenge, it rewards people who post early. If your video is stuck at 200 views, a few TikTok views at launch cost you far less than a riskier stack.

How to do the challenge without getting hurt

1. Stay on the floor: it’s the original pose and the only one Nicki Minaj herself claims. Flat, non-slip ground, nothing under your feet.
2. Practice barefoot or in sneakers: trainer Stephanie Mansour advised on TODAY to work on balance on a stable surface in workout shoes first. Switch to heels only once you can hold the pose for ten seconds.
3. Pick heels you can handle: a wider or lower heel looks just as striking. Nobody measures heel height on screen.
4. Keep support within reach: a wall, a piece of furniture, someone off camera. Nicki Minaj held onto a pole in her first attempt.
5. Use framing instead of danger: low angle, tight shot on the heels then zoom out, two takes cut together. The eye believes it’s hard, and your back doesn’t pay for it.
6. Post on the official sound: “High School” by Nicki Minaj, so your clip is grouped with the others. If you want to grow your account with formats like this, a pack of TikTok followers helps you reach the point where the algorithm starts pushing you.

Which hashtags and which sound?

The main hashtag is #nickiminajchallenge: about 115,000 videos in late July 2025 according to TODAY, over 125,000 in early August according to 75secondes, and over 130,000 in December according to Us Weekly. You’ll also see #nickiminaj and #highschool. Add one tag from your niche (dance, fitness, fashion) and stop there.

The sound to use is “High School” by Nicki Minaj, the same one as in the @1jacore video above.

What about brands?

A shoe or fashion brand can use it on one condition: show the floor version and say so. After the injuries of summer 2025, a brand that films someone on a stack of dumbbells takes a real reputational risk. A video that says “our heel holds the pose, both feet on the ground” ticks the trend box and the safety box.

A gym has a natural angle too: show the balance and core exercises that make the pose possible, without ever climbing on anything.