Do you remember where you were on February 26, 2015? If you were online that night, chances are you were arguing with friends, family, and complete strangers over the color of The Dress.
Yes, it’s been 10 years since the Tumblr post that broke the internet. It started with a simple question: What color is this dress? But the responses sent the world into a full-on optical illusion meltdown.
The infamous dress appeared to be white-and-gold to some and blue-and-black to others. And while science eventually confirmed that the dress was, in fact, blue-and-black, that didn’t stop people from seeing what their brains wanted to see.
Why Did People See It Differently?
The illusion was caused by lighting and color perception. The brain automatically adjusts for what it thinks is shadow or overexposure. If your brain assumed the dress was lit by blueish daylight, it corrected it to look white-and-gold. If it assumed a warm indoor light, you saw the true blue-and-black colors.
A Viral Moment for the Ages
The original post exploded after BuzzFeed ran a now-iconic poll, revealing that two-thirds of people saw white-and-gold. Celebrities joined in—Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, and Kanye West all took sides. Even scientists jumped in to explain the neurological mystery behind it.
And here we are, a decade later, still talking about it. So, let’s settle it again—what do YOU see?
(Here’s the original photo. Some people can see both versions. If you see white-and-gold, try looking at it out the side of your eye, not directly.)
