It’s Follow-Up Friday: This Illusion’s Got Legs edition!

Welcome to Follow-Up Friday!

By this time, you know the drill. Follow-Up Friday is a chance for us to revisit the subjects of previous posts and bring the PuzzleNation audience up to speed on all things puzzly.

And today, I’d like to return to the subject of viral optical illusions.

Last year, we had The Dress. Then, in March of this year, we had The Jacket. And in May, we asked the question How Many Girls?

Whether we’re spotting iPhones or looking for cats in woodpiles, we can’t seem to get enough of optical illusions.

And there’s a new one making the rounds recently:

[Image courtesy of TheChive.com.]

A woman named Bree tweeted this image of a pair of bare legs that look incredibly shiny. Are they false legs? Are they lotioned or wrapped in Saran wrap? What’s going on here?

I’ll give you a few moments to ponder the image before revealing the secret behind it. Because, as Bree said, “Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.”

Ready? Okay, here we go.

Like most optical illusions, the answer is startlingly simple.

[Image courtesy of TheChive.com.]

The illusion of shininess is actually the result of strategically placed streaks of white paint or toothpaste or something similar.

Pretty impressive once you really look at it, isn’t it?

This image has truly gone viral. As I write this, it’s been retweeted over 16,000 times, and liked over 20,000 times. Bree herself seems baffled by the attention the post has received.

Amazing what you can do with a bit of white paint.


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How Many Girls Do You See?

Optical illusions are a topic we’ve covered numerous times here on the blog, but I’ve noticed a growing trend in the optical-illusion memes that go viral: something to debate.

Think about it. We had The Dress, which the Internet lost its collective mind over. Then we had The Jacket, which upped the ante from two interpretations to four.

Now a friend of the blog has sent me an optical illusion that’s been making the rounds in her group of friends and sparking much debate.

Fellow puzzlers and PuzzleNationers, I give you…How Many Girls?

What’s going on here? Is this a casting call? A family reunion? Are there mirrors involved, or identical twins? Is this a doppelganger convention? Evidence of human cloning?

This image first appeared a few months ago on the Instagram account of Swiss photographer Tiziana Vergari, and although it hasn’t quite reached the fever pitch of The Dress, it’s by far the most viewed image on her account.

So, how many girls do you see?

Last chance before I give you the definitive answer!

Okay then.

According to Vergari, this photo features two sisters, both of whom are looking into mirrors (although one of those mirrors is out of frame).

Honestly, based on the eye placement and angle of the heads for the two I circled, I would’ve said four.

Just goes to show you, you never can tell.

Except for The Dress. That was obviously blue and black. I mean, come on.


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You can also share your pictures with us on Instagram, friend us on Facebook, check us out on TwitterPinterest, and Tumblr, and explore the always-expanding library of PuzzleNation apps and games on our website!