--- description: The Sneaker color test is back with a left brain vs right brain twist. Here's why people see pink and white and some see grey and teal. title: Pink and White or Gray and Teal? The Great Sneaker Color Test Debate Is Back to Splinter the Internet image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The Great Sneaker Color Test Debate Is Back to Splinter the Internet ## Video: How Many Dots Can You Count In This Optical Illusion? [Watch (HLS stream): How Many Dots Can You Count In This Optical Illusion?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/U2odo8Z6.m3u8) (0:49)  _Published 2016-09-12. A new optical illusion is here to break the internet, or at least our minds. The latest visual trick making the rounds is an image of intersecting grey lines against a white background, with 12 black dots on the nodes where the grey lines meet._ by [Ashley Hoffman](/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 12, 2023 9:10 PM CUTPublished: Oct 14, 2019 6:40 PM CUT by [Ashley Hoffman](/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 12, 2023 9:10 PM CUTPublished: Oct 14, 2019 6:40 PM CUT Leave it to a good old [optical illusion debate](https://time.com/4979943/sneakers-optical-illusion/ "undefined") to cause maximum internet breakage. The latest mind-boggling [optical illusion](https://time.com/4740154/photo-illusions-the-dress/ "undefined") is actually a snapshot of a sneaker that stirred debate back in 2017, now returned to stir controversy once again thanks to verified celebrities like Lizzo and [Will Smith](https://time.com/5526427/will-smith-genie-aladdin/ "undefined") weighing in. The shoe is clearly gray and teal— or definitely, most _definitely_ pink and white — depending on your view of things. “I SEE GREY & TEAL BUT MY WHOLE TEAM SEES PINK & WHITE HELP,” Lizzo captioned her Instagram post. Cue the standoff. Thousands have joined in on the vision quest to remind us of the power of perception. Smith had a thing or two to say on the matter. The [original tweet](https://twitter.com/%5F/status/918193149356281856 "undefined") from two years ago appears to be gone. But this time, the lace-up sneaker that appears to be of the Vans variety is popping eyes and [sparking a debate](https://time.com/5657404/bird-or-bunny/ "undefined"). It’s safe to reject the debunked [left brain vs. right brain](http://ideas.time.com/2013/11/29/there-is-no-left-brainright-brain-divide/ "undefined") myth, included in the text that has been circulating with the image. That theory claims that so-called “left-brained people” (or more logical, analytical thinkers) see gray and teal, and “right-brained people” (creative, emotionally in tune and imaginative folks) view the sneaker as pink and white. What colors you see likely all boils down to a couple of factors. As neurobiologist Bevil Conway recently told TIME, the most decisive factor is how an individual perceives light, but [what’s top of mind for the viewer](https://time.com/5624823/landscape-illusion-explained/ "undefined") also plays a considerable role. > [](https://twitter.com/MrBelal/status/1184075877484769280) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5699961/sneaker-color-test/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5699961/sneaker-color-test/"},"headline":"The Great Sneaker Color Test Debate Is Back to Splinter the Internet","datePublished":"2019-10-14T18:40:09.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-12T21:10:21.000Z","description":"Pink and white or gray and teal?","url":"https://time.com/5699961/sneaker-color-test/","keywords":["Newsfeed","viral","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Ashley Hoffman","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5699961/sneaker-color-test/","name":"The Great Sneaker Color Test Debate Is Back to Splinter the Internet"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"How Many Dots Can You Count In This Optical Illusion?","description":"A new optical illusion is here to break the internet, or at least our minds. 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