Wide Putin began as an edited video that stretched footage of Vladimir Putin walking into an unnaturally wide figure, exaggerating his confident stride for comic effect. The distortion quickly became a recognisable meme format, reused with different music, captions and characters walking in the same swaggering style. It spread through short video platforms and meme pages, where creators used it to introduce someone acting powerful, unbothered or absurdly self-assured. Its staying power comes from that simple visual joke, which works even when the sound is heard without the image.