"WHITE AND PINK OR GREEN AND GRAY" ISANG PICTURE NG SAPATOS NA PINAGKAKAGULUHAN SA SOCIAL MEDIA! ANO NGA BA ANG KULAY NITO?

Two years after the hotly debated dress, the Internet is shaken by another sensory sensation: the shoe. This time, it’s a toss between the combinations pink and white, or mint and gray. The optical illusion that currently teases our brains, more than your average Pinoy telenovela, is a photo of shoe posted on a Facebook group, Girlsmouth. A certain Nicole Coulthard captioned it with:

via facebook.com/girlsmouth

“Ok girls so my friend has just sent me this asking what colour the shoe is, I would say pale pink and white,” she began, “but she insists its pale blue and grey. What do you girls see? Please tell me pink and white!” It seemed like there was a sense of urgency amidst her confusion because her friend’s mom complimented the nice ‘blue’ hue of the shoe.

So, what do you think?

via facebook.com/girlsmouth

 via facebook.com/girlsmouth

 via facebook.com/girlsmouth

 via facebook.com/girlsmouth

 via facebook.com/girlsmouth

via facebook.com/girlsmouth

Members who saw her post weighed in on the matter, saying that obviously it’s pink and white, while others vehemently declared it’s mint and gray.

Meanwhile, others could see both color combinations, or they could be trolling.

via facebook.com/girlsmouth

via facebook.com/girlsmouth

And now, the deep discourse on one good shoe has begun. On the website, IFLScience, shoemaker Vans clarified that they only have the pink and white version of the sneaky sneaker. However, you can also choose to customize the colors according to your preference.

Of course, science can perfectly explain the color conundrum. Wallace Thoreson, professor of ophthalmology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, has shed light on the matter. “Your brain is constantly estimating the color of the light that’s falling on the object and factoring that light out,” he said.

He continued profoundly, “Each of us makes slightly different unconscious assumptions.” See? Even scientists know that we should all agree to disagree! There are various theories on why we perceive the colors differently – either because of genes, lighting of the subject, or sleep patterns, among others. According to a CNN medical correspondent, the cones in our retinas – the layer of nerve tissue at the back of our eyes – only perceive the colors blue, green, and red in an image. Then, the cones and the brain combine those colors to make other hues.

After the height of the dress debacle, researcher Pascal Wallisch of New York University found out that the time you woke up actually determines how you will see the dress. Early risers are exposed to more light; hence, they recognize the dress as gold and white. On the other hand, late risers were more likely to say that the dress is in black and blue.

via kidspot.com.au

There’s really no black and white in coming up with an answer on such colorful issues. What we could do is to just be in someone else’s shoes to see the pink and white, despite our mint and gray perception, or vice-versa.