The Great Dress Debate: White and Gold or Blue and Black? How I Flipped My Brain's View of the Black and Blue Dress Jeff Greenhouse 10 years ago today, this dress was posted online, turning into a viral phenomenon. Viewers couldn't decide if the dress was blue and black, or white and gold. It was later confirmed TheDress couple: 'we were completely left out from the story' BBC News The actual dress was black and blue. The confusion came from how lighting and color perception tricked people's brains, making some see it as white and gold. It became a viral example Dressgate: If you saw THAT dress as white your brain was working overtime