Five years ago, the internet was consumed by a seemingly simple question: what color is this dress? The infamous ‘black and blue’ vs. ‘white and gold’ dress debate, which went viral in February 2015, caused a global sensation. A seemingly plain bodycon dress sparked a fierce online debate, with people firmly divided over whether it was blue and black or white and gold. The baffling optical illusion, caused by the lighting in the uploaded image, turned the dress into a cultural phenomenon, with viral hashtags like #blackandblue and #whiteandgold dominating social media. Even researchers took notice.
The conversation began innocently enough when Alana MacInnes and Caitlin McNeill, two friends from Scotland, sought opinions on Tumblr about the dress’s color. MacInnes posted the photo of the dress, while McNeill escalated the argument to viral heights with a simple question: “Guys please help me – is this dress white and gold, or blue and black? Me and my friends can’t agree and we are freaking… out.” What followed wasn’t a simple consensus, but a global frenzy.
The discussion took the internet by storm. Fashion bloggers, major news outlets like the BBC, Buzzfeed, the Washington Post, and Wired magazine, and even celebrities joined the heated discourse. The topic trended on Twitter (now X) via multiple hashtags, with #TheDress becoming particularly dominant. Academics offered scientific explanations for the visual illusion, while stars weighed in with their own perspectives. American actress and writer Mindy Kaling sparked a debate with her tweet: “IT’S A BLUE AND BLACK DRESS!” Academy Award-winning actress Julianne Moore responded: “@mindykaling @bjnovak what’s the matter with you guys, it’s white and gold.” Taylor Swift also joined in, tweeting she saw the dress as blue and black and confessing to feeling “confused and scared.” Her post was retweeted 111,134 times and liked 154,188 times. The dress even earned its own detailed Wikipedia page.
Now, the debate has been reignited thanks to a video on TikTok. The video, posted by creator @aizyer, explains why the dress appears different colors to different people. In the caption, the TikTok user said: “Reminder that this is an optical illusion and even if you don’t see certain colours, that doesn’t mean other people are wrong. However, the actual colours of the dress are black and blue.” The video then states that if you color pick the image, you get “the colours gold and a shade of desaturated blue.”
The video creator explains how the colors surrounding the dress can affect how it’s perceived, with the photo being “overlayed in a warm bright light” responsible for the optical illusion. “Many people see gold and white because their mind filters out a darker blue shade rather than a warm light”, they explain. If you still can’t see it, they recommend looking up a video that more thoroughly explains the illusion.
The phenomenon re-sparked the debate in the comments section, with one user claiming: “I cannot physically see black and blue,” and another questioning: “How the hell do people see gold and white?” Another simply stated: “I understand but I still can’t see it.” What color do you see? Join the discussion in the comments section.
