Dress Color Debate a Hoax? 'Dressgate' Explained

Today's hottest debate is not centered on a political issue, an educational reform, nor a religious dilemma. Instead, netizens are arguing over a dress -- but its story is more than just pieces of fabric sewn together.

It's not like Drizella and Anastasia tearing Cinderella's gown apart.

Apparently, there seems to be great confusion over the garment's color. There are two sides of the speculating coin: some say the dress combines White and Gold, while others claim they're Blue and Black.

The debate challenges every person's visual sense, and this most certainly gives the image momentum to stir arguments up to this moment.

Colors may have never joked about themselves like this before, and scouring eyes can only wonder whether the entire thing is just another internet hoax.

Vox wrote that Swiked initially posted the image on Tumblr, to which she seems convinced, "I swear to you its no hoax. I saw the dress in real life..."

As explained by Wired, colors and images are interpreted once information hits the visual cortex. Without the brain, its occipital lobe and all the other network of nerves, our very eyes will not be of essential use. And yes, that translates to blindness, but being "color-blind" is another story -- which puts us back to the dress.

Referring to the mind-boggling image, color vision researcher Jay Neitz told Wired, "I've studied individual differences in color vision for 30 years, and this is one of the biggest individual differences I've ever seen."

BBC took note of Prof. Stephen Westland's remarks, chair of colour science and technology at the University of Leeds, saying "One in 12 men is colour blind. But what people don't know is that even if the rest of us are not colour blind we don't always see colour in the same way." 

Even Wired's senior photo editor Neil Harris seems puzzled. He told the outlet, "I initially thought it was white and gold... When I attempted to white-balance the image based on that idea, though, it didn't make any sense."

If experts are confused, who's out there to settle the debate? Once and for all, what are the true, foolproof colors?

As it turns out, experts agree that the color of the dress may only be identified by those who see it in person, Time reported. Regardless of digital constraints -- lighting, contrast, exposure and other photographic intricacies aside -- the color is in the eyes of the physical beholder.

BuzzFeed may have actually stumbled upon the real thing, TheBlaze reported. Apparently, the outlet claims locating the dress that matches the viral image's details, and you can see for yourself, finally, here.

Celebs such as Taylor Swift, Ellen DeGeneres, Jaden Smith and Kim Kardashian have all tweeted about the debate, BBC spotted.