Is 'Dressgate' Color Question A Hoax? Possible Explanations After Swiked Posts Tumblr Photo

On the same day that two llamas ran loose in Phoenix, a major debate erupted on the Internet after a Tumblr user posted a picture of a photo. Seems innocent enough, right? Just one problem: Some people swear the dress is gold and white while others claim it’s blue and black. Is it just a big joke, or are people really seeing different colors?

Popular news sites like Buzzfeed and Gawker quickly picked up on the debate, and soon the Twitterverse was abuzz. Though netizens can’t agree on the color, there’s one thing that is sure. The Tumblr user responsible for the color controversy is Swiked, Buzzfeed wrote.

Her post took nearly two weeks to catch on, though. She originally proposed her question on Feb. 15 and asked, ”Guys please help me -- is this dress white and gold, or blue and black? Me and my friends can’t agree and we are freaking the f--- out.”

In real life, Swiked wrote the dress is blue and black so some people are questioning the authenticity of the “controversy.” “Swear to you its no hoax. I saw the dress in real life, it’s blue and black,” Swiked wrote. “Some people just see this pic as white and gold. I DONT HAVE ANY ANSWERS BUT I NEED THEM.”

Swiked has named the controversy “DressGate” and said she gained more than 1,000 followers.

Here is one theory: There could be a change in color due to different computer screens. Some say it has to do with the angle of the computer screen when the dress is viewed.

One elaborate explanation claimed people who saw blue and black had negative attitudes and people who saw gold and white had positive ones, though that doesn’t seem to be true -- or possible.

Follow me on Twitter @mariamzzarella