Yesterday was probably the best day in Internet history.
First, the Federal Communications Commission approved net neutrality rules. Then, we all watched the #llamadrama unfold in Phoenix. To cap off a stellar Thursday in February, the Internet collectively lost its mind over a photo of #TheDress that looked like it was blue and black to some people and white and gold to others.
Of course, such an important topic as this one caused the people of the Interwebs to ferociously debate what the true color of this dress is. Everyone from celebrities to athletes to politicians weighed in. Friendships were probably broken, marriages most likely ended and business is probably booming for optometrists today. But how did it all begin?
Like most wonderful viral things on the Internet, it all started on Tumblr. A 21-year-old singer named Caitlin McNeill from the Scottish island of Colonsay posted the photo on her Tumblr fan page dedicated to Sarah Weichel, a talent manager who represents a lot of YouTubers, including the creator of My Drunk Kitchen, Hannah Hart, according to Business Insider.
The photo is of a mother-of-the-bride dress that her friend's mother was going to wear to her wedding. The bride and her fiance disagreed on the color of the dress in the photo, so the bride first posted it on her Facebook page, where a debate ensued. After that, McNeill decided to post the photo on her Tumblr on Feb. 25, where the controversy really took off. There are about four pages full of comments debating the color of the dress. Without Weichel knowing anything about the post, the photo made the rounds on the Internet where everyone from Kim Kardashian to your grandma argued over its true color.
"I thought my followers on Tumblr would maybe have a good reaction, but I never would have considered that Taylor Swift and Mindy Kaling would be tweeting about it," McNeill told Business Insider.
I don't understand this odd dress debate and I feel like it's a trick somehow. I'm confused and scared. PS it's OBVIOUSLY BLUE AND BLACK
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) February 27, 2015
“@bjnovak: white and gold”. ARE YOU INSANE — Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) February 27, 2015
Whatever color you saw, the dress was in fact black and blue. There is photographic evidence of this. And the quality of the photo is slightly better than the original one of the dress.
And in case you want to get your hands on the dress and flaunt its true color in all of your friends' faces, you can actually purchase it. The dress comes from British high street retailer Roman Originals and sells for 50 British pounds or about $77. It also currently comes in ivory, scarlet and pink versions with black lace.
We can confirm #TheDress is blue and black! We should know! https://t.co/qAeIIHzJxk pic.twitter.com/kkxjUbmgI3
— Roman Originals (@romanoriginals) February 27, 2015
The company apparently "woke to chaos" and sold out of the dress within minutes Roman Originals' Creative Manager Ian Johnson told Mashable. Johnson also said that the company is even thinking about making a gold and white version now. But of course it is.
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