White and Gold ... Black And Blue: It's Turning the Internet Red

White and gold? Or blue and black? Dress pic spawns social media dust-up.

ByABC News
February 27, 2015, 8:32 AM

— -- It's the dress that broke the Internet.

An overexposed image of a $77 dress has spawned millions of social media posts, countless arguments, worldwide intrigue and wonderment at the brain's interpretation of color, with everything boiling down to one question -- blue and black, or white and gold?

PHOTO: A photo of a dress posted to Tumblr has created a debate on social media about the actual color of the garment.
A photo of a dress posted to Tumblr has created a debate on social media about the actual color of the garment. The user known as "Swiked" on Tumblr posted the image with the text, "guys please help me - is this dress white and gold, or blue and black?"

The situation began when a Scottish singer, Caitlin McNeill, shared the shot on Tumblr. It was worn to a wedding by a friend's mother, but people who saw the picture couldn't decide on the colors. The picture went wildly viral, as the discussion turned into a dispute with people sure that they saw the right colors -- and annoyed that there was any doubt.

Celebrities got into the mix. Oscar winner Julianne Moore found herself in a Twitter showdown with Mindy Kaling and B.J. Novak.

Kanye West and wife, Kim Kardashian West, disagreed, too.

Taylor Swift got caught up in the hysteria, posting, "I don't understand this odd dress debate and I feel like it's a trick somehow. I'm confused and scared. PS it's OBVIOUSLY BLUE AND BLACK."

Rob Lowe, meanwhile, tried to find a consensus.

The actual color? Black and blue, because the dress by Roman Originals isn't sold in gold.