Hold up before you click—those “look now” posts claiming Sarah Palin appears in a tiny, revealing bikini are classic clickbait, and this video breaks down why. Many of the viral images circulating online are edited fakes, including the infamous stars-and-stripes bikini photo holding a gun, which fact-checkers debunked years ago as a face swap using Palin’s head from a real July 4th parade photo in Chugiak, Alaska.

Even major TV shows have been fooled by these images, showing how fast sensational edits spread. The truth is that aside from normal pageant footage from her Miss Alaska days in the 1980s, the shocking bikini shots are not real. To avoid falling for this again, use a quick five-second check: examine hairlines and ears for cut-out edges, compare lighting on face versus body, scan the neck and jaw for blurs or hard shadows, look closely at hands and jewelry for odd angles, and—most importantly—check the background for warped lines or repeating patterns that reveal editing. These images spread because they promise instant shock, but slowing down and spotting these clues helps cut through the noise and keeps social media grounded in facts, not hype.