Style

Not again – viral optical illusion of shoes divides the internet

Oct 13, 2017

The internet can't decide what colour these shoes are. Can you? Source: Twitter - @DolansMailk

We here at Starts at 60 love a good optical illusion, but this one is causing some serious arguments in the office today.

It all started when a social media user uploaded a photo of the sneakers to Twitter, asking her followers what colour the shoes were.

Sounds like a simple enough question, right?

Wrong.

Some people saw the vintage pair of Vans sneakers as pink with white laces, while others saw a grey pair of shoes with teal laces.

The image quickly went viral and left many people with more questions than answers.

How was it possible for two people in the same room looking at the same picture to see something completely different?

Some people were even convinced that they saw the shoes in one colour, but that it changed when they looked at it again.

Eventually, the owner of the shoes posted a follow-up message explaining what colour the shoes really were.

THE REAL SHOE IS PINK & WHITE OKAY⁉️
The second pic was with flash & darkened, so it looks teal & gray. (depends on what lighting ur in) pic.twitter.com/FlbO3OEEuC

— alîsha (@uhleeshe) October 11, 2017

Twitter user @DolansMailk posted a new picture with the caption: “THE REAL SHOE IS PINK & WHITE OKAY?

“The second pic was with flash & darkened, so it looks teal and gray. (depends on what lighting ur in) [sic].”

Still, people weren’t convinced and shared their confusion online.

One user asked: “But if it depends on the lighting then why do my friends see it differently than me?”

Another said: “When I’m in my room it’s grey and downstairs it’s pink it’s making me go crazy,” while a third person was more sceptical, adding: “It’s a conspiracy.”

It’s not the first time an optical illusion like this has bamboozled the internet.

You may recall a dress causing quite the stir a few years ago. Some people believed the dress was white and gold, while other people looking at the exact picture were seeing black and blue.

Of that, scientists actually determined that how we assumed the dress was illuminated impacted what colour we saw.

Judging by the owner’s response on Twitter, we’re guessing the same can be said about these sneakers.