‘Leave the Barbie feet to the Barbies’: What is the Barbie Feet challenge that doctors are warning people against?
‘Leave the Barbie feet to the Barbies’: What is the Barbie Feet challenge that doctors are warning people against?
Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is breaking records at the box office, and taking over the world one pink campaign at a time. Everywhere you turn, there’s Barbie in your face. Such has been the power of the movie that there was also a shortage of pink paint across the globe. It isn’t surprising then that the Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling-starrer has also become the inspiration for an online trend.
What are we talking about? It’s the Barbie Foot challenge going viral on TikTok, amassing over 80 million views and counting on the platform.
But doctors are now warning against this fad, which literally sees people trying to be a Barbie, highlighting the potential dangers associated with the Barbie Foot Challenge.
The Barbie Foot challenge explained
To understand why doctors are expressing concern about this fad, let’s get the basic first. What does the challenge entail?
For those who haven’t seen the movie or the trailer (where have you’ll been hiding?) there’s a scene in the movie that shows Margot Robbie walking down a bright pink hallway in sparkly, furry high heels, which she slips out of and rises on the tips of her toes while her heels remain in the air — an ode to the way the Mattel doll’s feet are designed.
Interestingly, when the trailer of the movie dropped, many had asked if the scene was created with the help of Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI). At the time, director Gerwig had refused, saying, “It was terrifying. That’s a nightmare. Also, Margot [Robbie] has the nicest feet. She has these beautiful dancer feet. She should just . . . do it.”
Robbie, too, spoke of the scene, saying that it didn’t actually require as much effort as people expected. “We didn‘t do that many takes of it, a couple of takes and I kind of held on to a bar so I was sturdy when I stepped. We just put double-sided tape on the floor so that my shoes stayed still and I did have a pedicure that morning.”
Also read: How Mattel has kept Barbie alive for so long
And now that scene has become everyone’s favourite and led to the Barbie Foot Challenge. The first to recreate it on TikTok, as per a New York Post report, is TikToker Shanna Scribner. She executed the arched foot perfectly in her own video, starting up the “#BarbieFootChallenge,” and has amassed over 200,000 views on the video-sharing platform.
Others too have joined in, with the Foot, Ankle & Leg Vein Center reporting a 2,950 per cent increase in search for the ‘Barbie Foot Challenge’.
Prominent model Chrissy Teigen, actor Shay Mitchell have also tried their hands (or should we say feet) at the challenge.
Worries about Barbie Foot challenge
But even as more people are putting their feet forward for this viral trend, foot doctors and medical experts are voicing their concern about it. Dr Jodi R Schoenhaus, a specialist from the Foot, Ankle & Leg Vein Centre in Florida was quoted as saying, “Although the Barbie Arch makes a woman’s legs appear longer and toner, it is not without risk. If someone attempts the pose once or twice, they will likely be ok and produce a great TikTok video.
“However, if attempting the pose and stride over long periods, there are some risks involved. The ankle is unstable, which can lead to ligament sprains and injuries, commonly seen with high heel use,” she told New York Post as well as Mashable.
University of Michigan podiatrist Sari Priesand also told CBS News that doing the challenge once is okay, but continuing to do it could cause injuries to the ankle and other parts of the feet. “Leave the Barbie feet to the Barbies,” Priesand said. He went on to say that maintaining a high arch or wearing high-heeled shoes could lead to “more pressure on your footprint and the increased development of callus.”
Dr Schoenhaus added that the high-arch walk can lead to muscle and spine issues since it strains the lower back — and it can also damage growth plates.
There are additional studies that state that wearing high-heeled shoes can cause a plethora of foot problems while impairing stability and increasing the risk of injury. Many podiatrists state that wearing heels long-term can have a negative effect on a person’s posture.
Doctors have also warned that the wearing of high heels cause the lumbar spine of the low back to flatten while forcing the thoracic spine of the mid-back into a hyper-curved position, which eventually can cause spinal aches as well as long-term spinal injuries.
Dr Yolanda Ragland, a podiatrist and the founder of Fix Your Feet, also stated that wearing high heels can cause joints in the knees or further down into the foot to become arthritic.
All in all while it may look uber chic and fashionable to walk around on your toes, it’s not a great idea to follow. As Schoenhaus explained, “Considering we aren’t trained ballerinas en pointe, let’s keep the fad to movie stars who have props and multiple takes to make it look perfect.”
With inputs from agencies
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