Green or blue? Viral TikTok manicure sparks new color debate echoing the infamous dress controversy

Everyone interpreted the color differently. The beauty salon labeled the nail polish as "Aruba." While the influencer swears her nails are green, her spouse disagrees, insisting the color is blue. Other family members also struggled to identify the shade. This difference in perception motivated the woman to share a brief video of her nails with her followers.

The comments displayed a similar division. Some suggested the nails were a shade of green turquoise or a combination of the two colors. Referencing the infamous dress-color controversy of the past, where some saw white and gold while others perceived blue and black, the woman compared her nail color dispute to this previous internet debacle. The question is, do these two instances share a common thread?

The color of these nails and the dress could be an optical illusion that deceives our brains. The same illusion is present in both cases and feeling unsure in such scenarios is entirely normal. Our brain creates a reality based on its assumptions when it grapples with uncertainty. Research by New York University professor Pascal Wallisch backs this theory.

His research shows that our perception of colors can differ based on our experiences. This is clear when considering the tendency of phone cameras to misinterpret colors, often rendering them overexposed or less vivid, thus failing to represent the actual color accurately. Such was the case with the viral dress, which was photographed under improper lighting. Given this, it's worth remembering the phenomenon of illusions when we are unsure about the colors of the objects we see on screen.