MA-0022 · first seen 26 February 2015
The Dress
A badly lit photograph of a dress that some saw as white and gold and others as blue and black.
- Status
- ClassicPeaked more than five years ago
- Trend score
- 8/100Estimated
- Change, 90 days
- 0%Estimated
- Peak
- 93Mar 2015
- Years active
- 1Index of 30 or more
- First seen
- 201526 February 2015
Popularity over time
Monthly attention from Feb 2015 to Oct 2026. Hover or tab through the chart for each month.
- First appearance
- Went viral
- Peak
- Decline
Attention index, 0 to 100 on one scale for the whole archive. Estimated from each meme’s key dates, not measured.
About
On 26 February 2015 Caitlin McNeill posted a photograph of a dress to Tumblr and asked her followers what colour it was. The photo had been taken by the mother of a bride in Scotland and showed a dress sold by Roman Originals. People’s answers split into two furious camps.
Within hours it was the most talked-about image on the Internet, with reactions from celebrities and news outlets worldwide. Researchers published studies that year on how the brain compensates for lighting. It was one of the briefest, most intense meme spikes of its decade.
Origin
A photograph posted to Tumblr by Caitlin McNeill on 26 February 2015.
26 February 2015
Viralization
Spread across social media within hours, reaching news outlets and celebrities by the next day.
February 2015
Peak
The first days of March 2015, when it dominated news and social feeds.
Mar 2015
Timeline
From the first post to where it stands today.
Origin
A question on Tumblr
Caitlin McNeill asks what colour a dress is.
Early adoption
Split down the middle
Followers and friends argue between white and gold, and blue and black.
Viral
News outlets join in
Media coverage spreads the question worldwide within hours.
Peak
Celebrities weigh in
Public figures and brands post their answers.
Decline
Science takes over
Researchers publish papers on how the brain adjusts for lighting.
Current
A shared reference
Remembered as the shortest, brightest spike of the 2010s.
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