An infamous online debate has reignited after an optical illusion that left social media users dumbfounded. The black and blue vs white and gold dress debate, which went viral in February 2015 , caused a sensation across the globe following a post on social media . The garment appeared to be a plain bodycon number, but due to baffling lighting in an uploaded image of it, it sparked a fierce reaction with people seeing it as either blue and black or white and gold.
Internet users were split into factions over the dress's true colours , sparking viral hashtags #blackandblue and #whiteandgold, and turning the dress into a cultural phenomenon that even drew the attention of researchers. The conversation began when Alana MacInnes, of Uist, and Caitlin McNeill, from Colonsay, sought opinion on Tumblr about the dress’s colouration. Ms MacInnes captured the shot of the notorious dress, whereas Ms McNeill escalated the argument to viral heights by asking online: "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.
" Instead of a simple consensus, what ensued was a global frenzy. The discussion took fashion bloggers, major news outlets including the BBC , Buzzfeed, the Washington Post, Wired magazine, and even celebrities by storm as they joined the heated discourse. On X, previously Twitter , the topic trended via multiple hashtags, with #TheDress becoming particularly dominant.
Academics offered their scien.