# Is this a picture of \[a\] or \[b\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 4, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-picture-of-a-or-b/556006 "2010-10-04T15:36:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-picture-of-a-or-b/556006/1 "2010-10-04T15:36:57Z")
I have noticed one of those pictures that, depending on how tricksy a mood your mind happens to be in, looks like something that it isn’t. It is on the BBC news website (Under the ‘Also in the News’ section, and titled ‘Wii-type games linked to sprains’. I’d link to the article itself but then the picture would be too big and the effect probably wouldn’t manifest itself) … > **[Home - BBC News](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news)** > > Visit BBC News for up-to-the-minute news, breaking news, video, audio and feature stories. BBC News provides trusted World and UK news as well as local and regional perspectives. Also entertainment, business, science, technology and health news. Here is a picture of it on it’s own in case the above link updates and it goes away. [![](http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/49335000/jpg/_49335322_m3301734-shoulder_injury-spl-1.jpg) ](http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/49335000/jpg/_49335322_m3301734-shoulder_injury-spl-1.jpg) When I glance at it or see it for the first time (upon each visit to the site) I see it as… A woman facing [my] left, holding her boob and a bit of fabric But what it actually is (in case you are ONLY able to see what I’m seeing) is… A woman facing right, holding her shoulder In case you’re wondering why I spoilered those - it’s so you can look at the images without prior information about them and let your brain perceive them freshly. I suspect I will be in the minority of people seeing what’s not there. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-picture-of-a-or-b/556006/2 "2010-10-04T15:41:22Z")
Bias? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-picture-of-a-or-b/556006/3 "2010-10-04T16:05:29Z")
It’s a shoulder, duh! ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-picture-of-a-or-b/556006/4 "2010-10-04T16:06:40Z")
Yeah, shoulder. I can’t even flip the image mentally and get a boob out of it. Shame. ---
**Author:** ![Cyningablod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Cyningablod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyningablod)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-picture-of-a-or-b/556006/5 "2010-10-04T16:08:35Z")
I saw a boob, too. Er, I mean…I saw a woman facing to the left holding her breast. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-picture-of-a-or-b/556006/6 "2010-10-04T16:19:28Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > Yeah, shoulder. I can’t even flip the image mentally and get a boob out of it. Shame. Thing is, once you’ve seen what the picture _is_, it’s very hard to then see it as the woman holding her boob. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-picture-of-a-or-b/556006/7 "2010-10-04T17:15:30Z")
Boob for me. (Please.) ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-picture-of-a-or-b/556006/8 "2010-10-04T17:23:11Z")
I am a straight woman, and all I can see is a boob. Weird. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-picture-of-a-or-b/556006/9 "2010-10-04T17:28:45Z")
All I could see was shoulder. StG ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-picture-of-a-or-b/556006/10 "2010-10-04T18:07:36Z")
Shoulder, although after reading the boob bit, yeah, I can see how one could see that as well. ---
**Author:** ![Amblydoper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Amblydoper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amblydoper)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-picture-of-a-or-b/556006/11 "2010-10-04T18:12:36Z")
I can see both, but I have to ignore parts of the image to see the boob. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-picture-of-a-or-b/556006/12 "2010-10-04T18:14:21Z")
Boob at first, but I pretty quickly saw it as a shoulder. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-picture-of-a-or-b/556006/13 "2010-10-04T18:18:39Z")
How could it be a boob? Where would the other boob be? ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-picture-of-a-or-b/556006/14 "2010-10-04T18:20:44Z")
And what about the rest of the arm seen below the left hand? ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-picture-of-a-or-b/556006/15 "2010-10-04T18:34:51Z")
How is anyone seeing a boob? It looks like an arm. There’s nothing round about it. ---
**Author:** ![kathmandu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kathmandu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kathmandu)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-picture-of-a-or-b/556006/16 "2010-10-04T18:43:08Z")
Totally not getting how you’re seeing a boob. Clearly a shoulder. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-picture-of-a-or-b/556006/17 "2010-10-04T18:43:23Z")
First thought on seeing the tiny pic; it looks like a boob but I know it’s not. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-picture-of-a-or-b/556006/18 "2010-10-04T18:51:36Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > How is anyone seeing a boob? It looks like an arm. There’s nothing round about it. The hand is cupping it so the hand is obscuring the ‘roundness’. If you’re seeing boob you [r brain] seems to ignore the parts of the image that don’t fit the logic of a woman facing left cupping a boob. Her hair (which is on her front) is seen as being on her back. And when you’ve seen the right-facing shoulder-holding picture your brain has enough information to make it difficult to switch back to the left-facing boob-cupping picture. In other words if you’re having a hard time seeing boob it’s because it’s too late. your brain has correctly interpreted the image. ---
**Author:** ![Not\_a\_Platypus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d26b3c/32.png) [@Not\_a\_Platypus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_a_Platypus)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-picture-of-a-or-b/556006/19 "2010-10-04T19:01:58Z")
The first thing I saw when I looked at it was a woman holding just under her armpit. I still see it when I glance at the photo, even though I know her arm is down. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-picture-of-a-or-b/556006/20 "2010-10-04T22:14:23Z")
Shoulder. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-picture-of-a-or-b/556006.md?page=2)