A debate around the colour of a dress – started by a Scottish islander – has set the internet alight.
#TheDress – as it has been labelled on Twitter – has ignited a row around colour perception, with half of people seeing a photograph of a white and gold dress, and the other half a black and blue one.
After an image of the dress sparked an argument among a group of friends, they took to Tumblr to ask the public for their help resolving the row.
The Scots blogger, Caitlin McNeill, 21, of Colinsay, Inner Hebrides, said: “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 the f*** out”.
Since it went viral the two sides have taken to Twitter using the hashtags #blackandblue and #whiteandgold.
Celebrities including Julianne Moore, James Franco, Kim Kardashian and Taylor Swift have also got involved in the colour debate.
“@mindykaling: @_juliannemoore do you think your Oscar is black or gold??!?”black
— Julianne Moore (@_juliannemoore) February 27, 2015
WANTED: This dress to stop appearing in our feed (Even though we'd look simply ravishing in it) #BlueAndBlack pic.twitter.com/o7ZU3sIeL1
— Philadelphia Police (@PhillyPolice) February 27, 2015
Dress controversy…
VIOLET and BLACK! Obvs. https://t.co/uQLbu9km5G— James Franco (@JamesFrancoTV) February 27, 2015
What color is that dress? I see white & gold. Kanye sees black & blue, who is color blind?
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) February 27, 2015
The science behind the phenomenon is that different wavelengths of light correspond to different colours hitting the retina of the eyes.
The brain forms the colour of an object by absorbing its reflected light, but the colour of neighbouring objects can cause this to change.
The blue shade in the photo affects our ability to see the actual colour of the dress.
https://twitter.com/rebelashton/status/571116554357596160