Russian model's daredevil photoshoot in Dubai draws criticism

The lengths that people go to get the best pictures for social media these days.

One model just risked her life to capture a perfect shot of herself dangling off a Dubai skyscraper. While she might have thought it was a brilliant idea, the Internet failed to agree.

Viki Odintcova sparked criticism from netizens after she shared pictures and videos of the death-defying stunt with her 3 million followers on Instagram.

One user said: "Life is too beautiful (to be) doing this dangerous thing."

Still, there were those who called her brave but also others who said she was "crazy" for even attempting the act.

The first video that she shared of her preparing to execute her stunt has reached well over a million views on Instagram. Though less than 10 seconds long, it was enough to make palms sweaty.

[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BOpOHywAURZ/[/embed]

The Russian model and her assistant did not appear to be strapped to any safety harness as she dangled precariously off the 73-storey high Cayan Infinity Tower.

All that she had as support was her assistant who was holding on to her with just one hand.

[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BPu1BPIAJKP/?taken-by=viki_odintcova[/embed]

Odintcova posted a longer video of her stunt on YouTube last month and it also garnered more than a million views.

YouTube user 'Prince of Dubai' went as far as commenting that she "must be prevented from entering Dubai again" because "life is not a joke".

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ1owXJZaSQ[/embed]

According to a Daily Mail report, the skyscraper took eight years to construct and was created by the same team behind the emirate's Burj Khalifa - which is also the tallest structure in the world.

This is not the first time Russian daredevils have made the news for their antics.

Last year, Canadian police arrested one Russian daredevil in Toronto for a video he filmed in collaboration with Swiss watchmaker Bomberg. Oleg Cricket had apparently performed dangerous stunts such as doing handstands on a ledge of a rooftop, CBC news reported.

In 2015, a 17-year-old student in Russia died after falling nine stories when he tried taking a selfie from a rooftop, said the International Business Times.

Despite these incidents, Odintcova appears unfazed by the negative attention she's since gained and she remains active on her Instagram account.

Perhaps a simple stunt like hers was simply all in a day's work for social media stars who thrive on netizens' reactions, both good and bad.

ssandrea@sph.com.sg