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68 Responses to “What do you see when you look at this?”
I think it’s weird the photographer would think that looks like an ass. It might grab your attention if it’s on a bus or something but all the wrinkles make it too unlikely to be the rear of a human.
Honest – it was just the you wanted us to see.
But your question creates a doubt about that and one starts thinking about the other options.
It’s a pair of heals heals. Isn’t it!!
Definitely heels. My thought process was, “Okay, that’s a body part that’s been made to look like a booty. Given the shape .. must be feet .. so that’s the heels.” The depth of the shadow between the legs is too deep to be a spine, and the angle isn’t quite right to be an actual booty.
I thought it was a lady’s rear end. Quite a nice one at that.
Then I saw the second photo. I thought it was a lady’s rear end a well. I thought I was a complete twat because that’s exactly what you WANT me to see. Then I realized it was someone’s heels, and felt like a nonce.
Isee Jenifer’s assets…but then befooled….actual;ly beauty is in the eye of the beholder…moreover it is the basic instincts that comes to mind…we are nothing more than hypocritically trained animals.
“be honest” means our first, non-thinking immediate impression? buttocks!
But seeing is also an interpretive process, made with time, and the heel answer is unavoidable. “Honesty” appeals to our fair sense of what is the image, so, I’m not sure if that’s the best word to elicit the ass answer… unless is a “cue” word, something to fork our attention in double meanings, one less socially accepted which the appeal to honesty is supposed to request, the other more accepted which we’ll sustain feigning that honesty to assert or normality… unless we are self-declared rebels. Is beyond me what we can make of that.
Joao Pedro…..I don’t know about you but for me Richards set-up made me look for something other than the obvious so I didn’t see what was expected…. sort of messed it up for me…since he has done others like this that were to fool you …..so no fooling me this time.
That said, the crop looked immediately like heels to me, yet the wider shot (which you have called the reveal) looked like a back and bum, even knowing that it wasn’t.
The question was be honest on what you thought it was, I’d guess the majority ay first glance would’ve thought a bottom. Therefore it’s interesting how many people did not say the “first thought”.
I totally saw feet. After I stared at it for two minutes trying to figure it out. My first impression was obviously buttocks, but it also didn’t really look like buttocks.
• The rugose portion of the ankle must be suppressed by the brain to receive the intended misinterpretation of backside. That is, for the viewer to perceive that section as an abdomen and thigh. The first image, the close-up, fails because the texture is too noticeable. The “reveal” reduces the rough texture but maintains the slightly darker tone which helps convince the viewer of a contour, but only maintains that illusion for slightly longer than the first image.
• The concavity of the “lumbar region” and the valley of the “spine” are both too severe.
• The disparate heights of the “buttocks,” while not impossible, are unusual.
Conclusion: The photographer could have made it look more convincingly like the more risqué image, the derrière*, but intentionally skewed it slightly “wrong” (via positioning, lighting, photoshopping, etc.) to make sure that people would “get” it. Otherwise the ad would fail by succeeding.
Desmond Morris would be delighted. I remember years ago watching a programme where he argued that pretty much any smooth, rounded part of the body (particularly on women), had evolved to look like buttocks. I don’t think heels were on the list (the ones in this pic are unnaturally smooth), but he did mention shoulders, knees, and even breasts.
I initially saw a bum, then realised it was a very smooth set of heels. I don’t think anyone on here would be fooled for to long as we all know the type of thing you post on here so are looking for answers before we start!! But I still look and find lots of stuff funny!!
July 21, 2010 at 5:36 am |
Yes, it took a second to see that this is a clean pair of heels. The photographer/art director has an amusing way of interpreting the human body!
July 22, 2010 at 3:42 am
I think it’s weird the photographer would think that looks like an ass. It might grab your attention if it’s on a bus or something but all the wrinkles make it too unlikely to be the rear of a human.
July 21, 2010 at 5:39 am |
Train of thought was: Knees? No. Ellbows? No, Ahh- Heels.
July 21, 2010 at 9:28 pm
Exactly my train of thought, too. Just a second or two to identify it but for the first split second I saw the intended naughty interpretation.
July 22, 2010 at 1:45 am
Same as Michelle here
July 21, 2010 at 5:49 am |
two feet or heels
July 21, 2010 at 5:51 am |
Yeah, I saw heels too. This ne was a bit too obvious. Clever, but too foot like to trick me.
July 21, 2010 at 5:52 am |
Honest – it was just the you wanted us to see.
But your question creates a doubt about that and one starts thinking about the other options.
It’s a pair of heals heals. Isn’t it!!
July 21, 2010 at 5:52 am |
First I thought it was a pair of knees. It took a few seconds to see that it’s actually heels.
July 21, 2010 at 5:52 am |
For the first split-second, I saw what you [i]wanted[/i] me to see — but immediately after it was quite apparent what it actually was.
July 21, 2010 at 6:02 am |
Airbrushed heels I imagine, as no adult who ever wore shoes or walked anywhere would have heels like that!
Another part of the body to fret over…
July 21, 2010 at 6:04 am |
yes, first the back and then the feet
July 21, 2010 at 6:06 am |
Definitely heels. My thought process was, “Okay, that’s a body part that’s been made to look like a booty. Given the shape .. must be feet .. so that’s the heels.” The depth of the shadow between the legs is too deep to be a spine, and the angle isn’t quite right to be an actual booty.
July 21, 2010 at 6:33 am |
Bottom for 2 seconds, then heals
July 21, 2010 at 6:33 am |
Ditto.
July 21, 2010 at 7:14 am |
I thought it was a lady’s rear end. Quite a nice one at that.
Then I saw the second photo. I thought it was a lady’s rear end a well. I thought I was a complete twat because that’s exactly what you WANT me to see. Then I realized it was someone’s heels, and felt like a nonce.
July 21, 2010 at 7:16 am |
What my feet looked like 30 years ago.
July 21, 2010 at 7:22 am |
First few seconds I saw what you expected us to see and then heels…
July 21, 2010 at 7:39 am |
Heels, but after smoothing the skin with photoshop you’ll get a beautiful back!
July 21, 2010 at 7:46 am |
Knees! I saw knees for ages and it took KNOWING what it was a trying to see heels, before I could. Clearly, I’ve never seen airbrushed heels before. X
July 21, 2010 at 7:48 am |
I thought it was someone’s bottom when I saw the top half of the picture, scrolled down to see the entire picture and thought it was heels.
July 21, 2010 at 8:04 am |
Ankles. And that’s for someone with a really filthy mind!
July 21, 2010 at 8:05 am |
Isee Jenifer’s assets…but then befooled….actual;ly beauty is in the eye of the beholder…moreover it is the basic instincts that comes to mind…we are nothing more than hypocritically trained animals.
July 21, 2010 at 8:14 am |
With out reading other posts…..I would say it is the heel of two feet side by side and one raised up higher than the other one.
July 21, 2010 at 8:27 am
yep! just what I thought too……hmm I have a friend that would love to get a hold of a pair of feet like those…..lol….
July 21, 2010 at 8:43 am |
A pair of Ankles, probably from a child.
July 21, 2010 at 9:04 am
“be honest” means our first, non-thinking immediate impression? buttocks!
But seeing is also an interpretive process, made with time, and the heel answer is unavoidable. “Honesty” appeals to our fair sense of what is the image, so, I’m not sure if that’s the best word to elicit the ass answer… unless is a “cue” word, something to fork our attention in double meanings, one less socially accepted which the appeal to honesty is supposed to request, the other more accepted which we’ll sustain feigning that honesty to assert or normality… unless we are self-declared rebels. Is beyond me what we can make of that.
July 21, 2010 at 10:36 pm
Joao Pedro…..I don’t know about you but for me Richards set-up made me look for something other than the obvious so I didn’t see what was expected…. sort of messed it up for me…since he has done others like this that were to fool you …..so no fooling me this time.
July 21, 2010 at 9:43 am |
Nose while the picture was loading. Then a bottom, then heels when I realised the shape wasn’t right.
July 21, 2010 at 9:46 am |
I saw buttocks first. Then the heels.
July 21, 2010 at 9:47 am |
Heels I am afraid.
That said, the crop looked immediately like heels to me, yet the wider shot (which you have called the reveal) looked like a back and bum, even knowing that it wasn’t.
July 21, 2010 at 10:49 am
I agree, the second shot looks more like heels to me too.
July 21, 2010 at 10:24 am |
The question was be honest on what you thought it was, I’d guess the majority ay first glance would’ve thought a bottom. Therefore it’s interesting how many people did not say the “first thought”.
I think it’s heels too.
July 21, 2010 at 10:36 am |
Heels
July 21, 2010 at 12:08 pm |
Is it an Ostrich?
July 21, 2010 at 12:14 pm |
I saw the heels of someones feet. I know what you are going for but the alignment was just too obviously wrong.
July 21, 2010 at 12:25 pm |
Clean pair…
July 21, 2010 at 12:45 pm |
Obviously the advertiser, and Richard for that matter, was going for “someone’s backside”… but it’s pretty obviously a person’s heels put together.
July 21, 2010 at 12:59 pm |
I totally saw feet. After I stared at it for two minutes trying to figure it out. My first impression was obviously buttocks, but it also didn’t really look like buttocks.
July 21, 2010 at 1:08 pm |
I saw a nose or noses too! then heals, very sad really
July 21, 2010 at 1:44 pm |
Why it fails (but almost works):
• The rugose portion of the ankle must be suppressed by the brain to receive the intended misinterpretation of backside. That is, for the viewer to perceive that section as an abdomen and thigh. The first image, the close-up, fails because the texture is too noticeable. The “reveal” reduces the rough texture but maintains the slightly darker tone which helps convince the viewer of a contour, but only maintains that illusion for slightly longer than the first image.
• The concavity of the “lumbar region” and the valley of the “spine” are both too severe.
• The disparate heights of the “buttocks,” while not impossible, are unusual.
Conclusion: The photographer could have made it look more convincingly like the more risqué image, the derrière*, but intentionally skewed it slightly “wrong” (via positioning, lighting, photoshopping, etc.) to make sure that people would “get” it. Otherwise the ad would fail by succeeding.
*some might argue that feet are just as risqué
July 21, 2010 at 1:45 pm |
sorry, i immediately saw an ar*e and then after drifting off into a dreamworld managed to focus again and see a pari of heels.
July 21, 2010 at 2:12 pm |
first I saw knees, then heels.
July 21, 2010 at 2:20 pm |
Desmond Morris would be delighted. I remember years ago watching a programme where he argued that pretty much any smooth, rounded part of the body (particularly on women), had evolved to look like buttocks. I don’t think heels were on the list (the ones in this pic are unnaturally smooth), but he did mention shoulders, knees, and even breasts.
July 21, 2010 at 2:50 pm |
It’s a good ad. Surprises you for split-second, esp if you’re not looking directly at it, and then sells.
July 21, 2010 at 2:52 pm |
I see a pair of feet.
July 21, 2010 at 3:56 pm |
Heels, definitely!
July 21, 2010 at 4:10 pm |
Heels. But then again I saw this yesterday. That time ARSE.
July 21, 2010 at 4:37 pm |
First I saw a bum, then after about a second I saw heels, then after about 5 seconds I thought it might possibly be knees.
July 21, 2010 at 6:48 pm |
HEEELS!!!
If it is a bottom… it’s kinda wonky
July 21, 2010 at 7:41 pm |
WAY TOO EASY!!!!
Saw it right off as the skin texture is wrong for what is implied.
July 21, 2010 at 10:09 pm |
My first reaction was “that is a really weird looking butt, maybe they have scoliosis or something” and then I realised.
July 21, 2010 at 10:35 pm |
feet
July 21, 2010 at 10:47 pm |
People! This is an ad selling foot product. It is intended to “tweak” you, not fool you.
July 21, 2010 at 11:20 pm |
I saw heels. (:
July 22, 2010 at 12:08 am |
[...] What do you see when you look at this? Be honest – what did you see? Reveal after the break. [...] [...]
July 22, 2010 at 3:05 pm |
1st – an ass
2nd – remebering the choclate ice cream ass image
3rd – some sort of finger joint…
Dont saw heels before I read it and still thinking its some part of finger/hand
July 22, 2010 at 3:06 pm |
1st – an ass
2nd – remebering the choclate ice cream ass image
3rd – some sort of finger joint…
Dont saw heels before I read it and still thinking its some part of finger/hand
July 22, 2010 at 3:12 pm |
Gross. Feet.
July 22, 2010 at 4:05 pm |
FEET
July 23, 2010 at 12:30 am |
Heels
July 23, 2010 at 2:53 am |
I initially saw a bum, then realised it was a very smooth set of heels. I don’t think anyone on here would be fooled for to long as we all know the type of thing you post on here so are looking for answers before we start!! But I still look and find lots of stuff funny!!
July 23, 2010 at 4:30 pm |
Saw heels at first try.
July 24, 2010 at 6:05 am |
A pair of heels, unnaturally smooth.
July 25, 2010 at 1:02 pm |
It’s obvious what it is “trying” to look like, but for once I first saw a pair of heels.
July 26, 2010 at 10:29 am |
I saw a pair of heels. I did see what I was supposed to think it looked like, but it would have to be a very misformed and unhealthy looking person…
August 3, 2010 at 3:17 pm |
For a fraction of a second as i scrolled down I saw a butt, but then quickly realized it was heels.
September 27, 2010 at 9:39 am |
Heels of 2 feet