‘Confused’: Aussie baffles millions with footprint optical illusion

A photo of some seemingly innocent footprints in the sand has caused mayhem online after an Aussie asked: “What do you see?”

An Australian woman has stumped millions after sharing an “optical illusion” that appears to show footprints in the sand moving.

Alice James, who works in TV production in Melbourne, revealed she was at a dinner party when a friend sent her a photo that sent everyone into a meltdown.

The popular TikTok creator said that half of the guests saw the footprints pushing down into the sand, while the other half saw them protruding out, as if they were 3D.

The “mind-bending” image has clocked up almost 5.5 million views in a video shared by Ms James, with many unable to agree on what is actually occurring in the photo.

“My friend sent me this photo and I feel like it’s the new version of the ‘break the internet’ white and gold or black and blue dress,” she said in the viral clip.

“So, it’s his niece’s footprints in the sand... half of us see the footprints into the sand and half of the people saw them coming out, like 3D.

“When I squint my eyes, I can actually see both but what do you see?”

Ms James concluded by asking the internet for help, explaining she was “confused” by what was happening in the baffling photo.

The comments section was quick to blow up after her call for help, with many agreeing they were equally as perplexed.

“No because at first it was an imprint and now I can’t unsee it coming out of the sand,” one said.

“I feel like I’m being bamboozled,” another stated.

As one declared: “This video MUST be changing because it was for sure pressed in until you said 3D And then they looked 3D!”

What do you see in this photo? The mind-bending image is driving Aussies insane. Picture: Jam Press

While the footprints are undoubtedly pressed into the sand, and not built of the grainy natural substance, there’s a good reason some people are seeing the latter or even both.

“Sometimes, our brain gets confused by what the eyes are trying to tell it,” Cedric van den Berg, a postdoctoral Researcher, wrote for the Queensland Brain Institute.

“This can mean the brain thinks things are moving when actually they’re still. Or you might ‘see’ shapes, shades or colours that aren’t really there.”

Melbourne woman Alice James shared the snap online and has left the internet ‘confused’. Picture: TikTok/AliceJames

Mr van den Berg, who has a PhD in Visual Ecology from the University of Queensland, said that the issue lies in the way our brain and eyes communicate to one another.

“They speak to each other in a very simple language, like a child who doesn’t know many words,” he wrote.

“Most of the time that’s not a problem and our brain is able to understand what the eyes tell it.

“But your brain also has to ‘fill in the blanks’ from time to time, meaning it has to make some guesses based on the simple clues from the eyes.

“Mostly those guesses are right, but sometimes however, the brain guesses wrong. This is when optical illusions occur.”

Originally published as ‘Confused’: Aussie baffles millions with footprint optical illusion