1. An illusion.
2. A
fluke of bad lighting.
3. Irreconcilable confusion.
The metaphor originates from an image of a dress which gained instant internet notoriety because the lighting in the photograph caused the dress to appear unquestionably deep-blue & black to many viewers, and obviously white & gold to many others. The dress was actually
gold and white, but the human
eye's perception of the shades often causes misinterpretations.
1. An amputee may still feel the missing limb, but it is a blue dress. The senses betray.
Pedestrians were in awe while viewing a hole to the center of the Earth in downtown Manhattan. They knew it was a blue dress - a sidewalk painting that used perspective to trick their eyes- but it was incredible.
The advertisement for the fast-food hamburger was a blue dress. The burger looks completely different in reality.
2. Her
date's appearance was a blue dress. He looked beautiful in white-light, and frightful in
dim light.
3. The comedy act "
Who's on first" is a blue dress. Few people even try to understand.
