What is the Barbie feet trend on TikTok? Health experts warn against viral social media challenge

Not long after Greta Gerwig’s long-anticipated film Barbie’s release, the Barbie Feet challenge has taken over TikTok.

In the official teaser trailer of the movie which came out on April 4, the very first glimpse showed Margot Robbie’s Barbie walking on pink pom-pom heels before stopping and removing her feet from the shoe. She continues her walk without breaking the iconic arched foot posture that is conventionally seen in the Mattel doll.

Many enthusiasts of the movie and the doll, in general, were captivated by the foot scene in the trailer. TikTokers have attempted to recreate the scene from the movie and tried standing on the ball of their feet after exiting a pair of heels. Even celebrities like Chrissy Teigen took part in this challenge.

However, health experts have expressed their concerns about the negative impact this growing fascination with the Barbie Feet challenge can have on one’s foot. They said that trying to get a perfect shot at this viral trend can damage one’s muscles, and spine as well. Repeated attempts at the arched foot posture may lead to issues in the ankle, as well as incur potential damage to the growth plate.

Health professionals warn people against the Barbie Feet challenge (Image via Twitter/@TTUHSC)

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Margot Robbie on how she achieved the Barbie Feet

Ever since the trailer came out, viewers as well as some other celebrities were really curious about how the foot scene was shot.

Chrissy Teigen made a tweet about this scene on April 5, asking how many takes it required, whether Margot held on to something or harnessed, whether the landing mark was sticky, or whether the feet shown in that scene were hers, or who did her pedicure.

In an interview with Fandango, Margot Robbie catered to everyone’s curiosity and spoke about how she filmed that scene. The 33-year-old actress shared that they had a total of eight takes for the shot and no special effects were required. Margot said that she held on to a bar to support her body weight while double-sided tape was used on the floor to keep the heels steady.

Margot explained that she was not harnessed and that she just walked up, grabbed the bar that was situated above the camera, and stepped out of the heels.

Her co-star Kate McKinnon who was also present at the interview then mentioned that Margot was also a dancer to which the latter responded that she did ballet when she was a kid.

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Health expert points out the problems with Barbie Feet

Seeing the foot scene unfold effortlessly in front of their eyes, fans were keen on trying the arched foot posture for themselves. It resulted in countless TikTok videos using the #BarbieFeetChallenge hashtag, which amassed over 40 million views.

But health professionals have been cautioning TikTokers against partaking in the trend. A board-certified podiatrist Dr. Jodi R. Schoenhaus, working at Foot, Ankle & Leg Vein Center, noted that participating in the challenge once or twice might not be as harmful.

However, doing it over and over again to attain the perfect arched foot posture could lead to a number of health risks. Since the posture requires the ankle to hang in an unstable position, it can sprain the ligament and cause similar injuries related to wearing high heels.

The high-arched Barbie Feet position can also lead to spine and muscle problems since it puts a lot of strain on the lower back. Moreover, young girls who are still going through the phases of physical growth can bring severe damage to their growth plates while attempting this challenge.

Health experts tell people to walk on their whole foot (Image via Twitter/@tdlrlicense)

The Barbie Feet posture differes from wearing high heels despite the feet appearing similar in both scenarios. When wearing heels, the shoe provides support for both heel and ball of the foot. But the Barbie foot posture lacks this support entirely, thus placing a greater strain on the ankle, foot muscle, and spine. Dr. Jodi further emphasized that walking on one’s toes that too without the support of heels is unsustainable.

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The experts have advised that people must leave this trend to the Barbie in the movie who was provided with props to support her perfect Barbie Feet posture.