No one can be wrong if everyone has their own version of the “true” colours of the dress
With all the debate that surrounded an image of “#TheDress” that came out in February 2015, there was much celebration following the release of the official picture. The conclusion that it was indeed black and blue had many people confused. The real answer as to who was right was not the people claiming they saw black and blue, but everyone.
Debates surrounding colour are not a new topic. Many people can remember instances where they argued over hues with someone who claimed to see something different. The reason and the explanation behind inconsistent opinions is simply that not everyone sees the exact same thing.
When examining variations in sight, it is important to understand how the eye sees colour. Colm Kelleher from TED Talks explained that colour approaches the eye as waves of light and is detected by cells called cones located at the back of the eye. Kelleher’s video “How We See Color” went on to describe three types of cones: red, green, and blue. Whether the wave that hits the eye is a certain wavelength such as yellow, or two wavelengths of red and green, the cones will send the same signal. The cones that are the closest match will fire since the eye cannot perceive every individual part of the spectrum.
Not only are there possible differences in the physical reception of colour, but many differences in the perception of colour can affect how an image is seen. Research published in National Geographic by Brooklyn College professor Israel Abramov produced some conclusive results. It would seem that men need longer wavelengths to register a hue than women. This means women see yellows and greens clearer while men see oranges and reds in stronger hues. Furthermore, Abramov discussed that augmented amounts of testosterone encouraged neurons in the visual cortex of men and how it means males have trouble separating blues, greens, and yellows. The difficulty is due to the fact that more neurons are trying to describe a colour to the brain at the same time.
Not all variations in vision can be attributed to reception however. Occasionally, there is an instance of colour deficiency where a malfunctioning cell can cause drastic variations in sight. According to the Colour Blind Awareness Organization’s website, there are three types of this deficiency, each with different levels of intensity. The site stated that with anomalous trichromacy, “all of their three cone types are used to perceive light colours, but one type of cone perceives light slightly out of alignment.” This means that one of the cones is not as sensitive and there will be problems distinguishing between the colour it corresponds with and other similar colours.
The page went on to describe that, when one cone stops working completely, it is called dichromacy. People with this type of blindness cannot see certain colours or those that overlap on the light spectrum. Finally, there is monochromacy which is a complete inability to see colour. The world appears to these people in shades of grey, black, and white. The website continued, pointing out that “eight per cent of men and 0.5 per cent of women have a colour vision deficiency.” These numbers increase with the amount of caucasian and elderly people in the population. Nonetheless, some reasons for these inconsistencies are not related to cells. Past experiences have also shaped how colour appears, such as with lack of lighting or mismatched colour situations. Herman Miller clarified in his article “Experience of Colour” that the human brain ignores certain shifts in colour when lighting changes, because having the colour remain consistent makes more sense. Furthermore, Miller stated that after-images of what a person previously looked at can affect how the next colour appears.
So, whether it is malfunctioning eyes or simply the last image someone looked at, the truth of the matter is that what one person sees is not always the same as those around them. Who is to say which person is right? No one has a “true” image of the world—it is all just opinion. Therefore, no one was necessarily wrong about the colours in the picture of the dress; there were simply too many correct images of the same thing.