What's the Barbie Feet Challenge and why has it got podiatrists so worried?

The new Barbie movie has sparked a craze that could be damaging fans' feet, experts are warning.

The TikTok trend sees fans recreate a scene from the film where Barbie steps out of her high heels and maintains the perfectly poised arch we're used to seeing wrapped in plastic.

But foot specialists are warning the move might not be the best idea.

Ballet and pilates instructor Eloise Allexia told ITV News arching up onto the balls of your feet places a "huge amount of body weight" on the area and "stress on the muscles and tissues of the feet and calves".

She said while those with a ballet background may find it easier, like Barbie star Margot Robbie, others should only try it with the support or a bar or counter.

In an interview with Fandango, Robbie revealed it had taken "around eight takes" to nail the iconic moment and a support bar and double-sided sticky tape on the shoes had helped perfect it.

Rodrigo Diaz Martinez, lecturer in Podiatric Medicine at the Northampton School of Podiatry, told ITV News: "I wouldn’t advise trying this challenge unless you want to end up with an injury in hospital explaining to everybody you were pretending to be a Barbie doll on high heels."

He pointed to some of the dangers involved.

These include ankle sprains, damage to the toe joints, stress fractures, toe deformities, injuries on the ball of the foot, retraction and shortening of the Achilles tendon and the arch of the foot, and lower back pain.

Consultant Podiatric Surgeon Ron McCulloch has a different issue with the Barbie Feet Challenge.

"The components of those high heels are the things that keep podiatry clinics busy," he told ITV News, pointing out the unstable heel and the pointed toe box favoured by Barbie.

Mr McCulloch pointed to high heels being a "common factor in the conditions we see".

So if you're going to give the trend a go, get those heels back on the ground sooner rather than later.

Or, as University of Michigan podiatrist Sari Priesand put it: "Leave the Barbie feet to the Barbies".