Nicki Minaj’s “High School” Pose Challenge Is Breaking the Internet (And Possibly Limbs)
Ciara and the rest of Nicki's Barbz have found a creative and daring way to give the rapper her flowers.
Published July 23 2025, 6:02 p.m. ET
Balance is the key to almost anything, and, thanks to Nicki Minaj, multiple celebrities and social media girlies know how much they can carry all at once.
In case you've missed the updates on the internet's latest trend, Nicki and the Barbz inadvertently started a trend that has exposed who skips leg day and who doesn't.
Affectionately known as the "High School" challenge (the name will become clear in just a moment), the trend's participants utilize their endurance to pay homage to the hip-hop icon. Here's how the "High School" challenge came to be and how you can safely achieve it!
Nicki Minaj's "High School" pose challenge isn't for the weak... ankles.
Nicki's "High School" pose challenge surfaced in July 2025. According to Mashable, the trend gives those brave enough to try it the chance to recreate one of the "Barbie World" artist's iconic scenes from her 2013 music video for the song "High School," featuring Lil Wayne. In the video, Nicki posed next to a pool while wearing Christian Louboutin platform pumps with her legs crossed.
What began as a repost quickly circulated online, as many fans began copying it.
Unsurprisingly, the people recreating the pose went to greater lengths to show that they could not only achieve the pose in heels, but could also stand (or kneel) on business using other props. Influencer Kristy Sarah decided to give herself less of an advantage by adding two dumbbells AND a blindfold to the challenge. After her intense video went viral, other creators and even Ciara joined in on the trend. Ci Ci's video showed her posing in her red bottoms with the dumbbells and a water bottle.
Not to be outdone by the "Goodies" singer, several other content creators added other props to their "High School" challenge. One influencer stunned fans when she recreated the pose with dumbbells and stood firm in her pose while feeding her baby. Other creators balanced themselves on water bottles, their home's handrail, or a combo of a pot, a sheet cake, and a can.
Another user, @lasizwe, even used his Stanley Cup, which also became a popular item. However, unlike most of the participants, he kept it cute and wore Crocs for the challenge.
Has Nicki Minaj done the "High School" pose challenge?
While the "High School" pose challenge had many participants, as of this writing, Nicki Minaj wasn't one of them. However, the rapper's influence is undeniable, considering her song and video are over a decade old. Before the challenge, Nicki fired shots at Jay-Z, Megan Thee Stallion, Roc Nation, and SZA. The rapper reignited her beef with Jay-Z and Roc Nation's president, Desiree Perez, and Megan amid their 2025 legal troubles, and engaged in an X (formerly Twitter) feud with SZA.