Sunday 1 March 2015

The Dress Dispute!

I know you ALL know what exactly what dress I am talking about, yes, THAT dress! #TheDress that polarised the entire Internet into two teams, and for those that don’t know, I’ve put a picture underneath - taken from Daily Mail Online - just so you can test your eyes!

(Daily Mail Online, 2015)

This dress recently caused a divide between those who see it as white and gold (myself included) or those seeing it as black and blue. With arguments breaking out all over Twitter because millions of viewers simply could not agree on the real colour of the dress! So my question; how do we resolve this?


Many people took to Twitter (even celebrities got in on it!) to portray the competing/forcing way of conflict resolution, which means being extremely assertive and un co-operative and trying to get their way, by tweeting things such as:



Now it's not that I dislike Taylor Swift - however I do dislike her dancing at every award show - but her sense of negative language, sarcasm and capital letters shows off an aggressive tone and a demanding, un co-operative manner.

Others chose the more open approach of collaborating- where the problem gets solved together, people become more co-operative:

Kim has a much more relaxed attitude, asking all of her fans what they think, therefore showing off a collaborative approach.

Resolving conflict can be a tricky thing, however this argument just cannot seem to be negotiated- it is up to your eyes which colour you see, it’s all based around science and the light hitting your retina, therefore there is no right or wrong answer. However, no one is ever going to agree unless you are on the same team of colours. What about you? Are you #TeamGoldandWhite or #TeamBlackandBlue?

The only consensus that was made was that Twitter brought everyone together in a joint debate over a simple dress.

Do you have any advice on resolving conflicts of any kind? Are you more Truculent Taylor or Calm (or should I say Kalm) Kimmy? 



Liv x
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22 comments:

  1. Sophia Edwards2 March 2015 at 05:13

    I am Team Gold/White Kimmy K!! I felt her tweet showed she might not agree with the perspective of others but has displayed the capability of understanding. Whereas Taylor Swifts attitude was very much more direct a little hostile and her choice on how she responded was inappropriate. I have always felt the ability to show you understand how others feel is one of the most powerful communication skills a human can learn. A unhealthy response to conflict can trigger strong emotions a little like the comments we have seen regarding the dress debate but when it is resolved and done so in a calm way it shows respect for one another's views.
    If you cannot come to an agreement, agree to disagree and move on.

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    1. Unknown2 March 2015 at 05:24

      Hi Sophia!

      Thank you for your comment, I am the same team as you!! I agree with you, Taylor was a lot more aggressive within her approach and by using words like 'OBVIOUSLY' it's actually quite patronising! That is a great point you have just made about communication skills- the best way to resolve a conflict is definitely communication!

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  2. Lauren W2 March 2015 at 07:26

    So Taylor says she is confused and scared but then goes onto write PS ITS OBVIOUSLY BLUE & BLACK in nice big capital letters, now to me that comes across as fighting talk and not someone who is confused.......
    I always think as long as people listen carefully and respond calmly, conflict can often be resolved and can satisfy everyone.

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    1. Unknown3 March 2015 at 04:51

      Hi Lauren!
      Thank you for your comment, exactly!! Her use of that extremely patronising word 'obviously' and negative language it makes people question what they see and themselves!
      I could not agree more- keep calm and carry on!!

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  3. Anonymous2 March 2015 at 09:56

    So I see Gold and Blue!!! New Debate?!? Taylor's stance seems aggressive and very much all about her. In terms of resolving conflict, my advice would be, be the bigger person and try seeing it from someone else's perspective. It isn't all about what you think Taylor 'OBVIOUSLY' ...i.e. everyone should agree with her. At least Kim tries to see it from Kanye's perspective as well.

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    1. Unknown3 March 2015 at 05:00

      Hi!
      Thanks for your comment, Gold and Blue??!! It's just getting weirder! I could not agree more, you have to put yourself in someone else's shoes when dealing with conflict because you don't know their emotions etc which have a huge impact on conflict resolution! Kimmy K is showing how it's done!

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  4. Amy2 March 2015 at 13:02

    I originally saw it as grey... So I felt ultra confused! I am definitely team white and gold though, although I thought that the white dress might be in a shadow, making it seem blue.

    In terms of response, I definitely side with Kim's 'kalm' approach. This argument has shown us two things - that people see colours differently and that the dress is not very nice!

    In terms of resolving a conflict, I would always advise that you wait 10, 15 or however many minutes it takes for you to see the situation with a level head. If you respond immediately, it can often come out as rude or offensive because you're trying to defend yourself. By waiting a few minutes, you give yourself the chance to see the other party's side and reply with the rational head.

    Saying that.... I really can't see any black on this dress?!

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    1. Unknown3 March 2015 at 05:05

      Hi Amy!
      Same team as me! I agree- the dress is not a nice dress, it's funny how people get so hung up on things via social media which doesn't even appeal to them, it's all the optical illusion approach that we're all freaked out by!

      I completely see your point, and if I'm honest I would say that Taylor has not taken any time to take a step back and work out the reasoning behind it, where as Kim as- she is asking her twitter followers what they think, putting her and Kanye into the situation! I think this is the best way to go about conflict- think about both sides and then question it, rather than jumping the gun!

      Me either- but it's all about the light hitting your retina- confusing!

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  5. Chris2 March 2015 at 14:01

    I'm on team white and green but then I'm also shade colour blind so that's my opinion out the window already. I think that kim is asking a question and is engaging with her followers. A simple technique used by many businesses to increase their media coverage. Taylor was making a statement not designed to create conversation. As simple as saying "what do you think of my new car?" or "I love my new car". Both celebs are looking at different outcomes from the tweet. nd other social media networks. But... things have changed the things that divided us then have changed the people have changed the young guys then are are the old guys now.

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    1. Unknown3 March 2015 at 05:41

      Hi Chris!
      Oh, being colour blind must not help this situation at all then! Exactly Chris- Kim is using the very calm and friendly approach to dealing with a conflict by trying to get both sides of the story and questioning the situation. I agree both celebrities are using very different resolution styles- which do you think is more effective?

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  6. Samantha Carvey2 March 2015 at 14:34

    Hi Olivia, so glad you put a post up on this dress as it divided the opinion of all of my friends and family all day...

    Think it is really interesting how some people are aggressively convinced they have got it right whereas others it's just not a big deal! To resolve the issue I think it would be great to have an expert explain the science behind it all, so that we know once and for all why people see the dress differently! I saw it as gold and white before later in the day seeing blue and black - really confusing!! I want to know more about this dress! XX

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    1. Unknown3 March 2015 at 05:43

      Hi Samantha!
      Thanks for this comment- I know, my university course was in absolute awe over this- it caused mayhem!
      I agree, it is funny to see how different people dean with things in certain situations. I myself see myself as more of a Kimmy K- I stay pretty calm in difficult confusing situations and try and reach a solution rather than getting aggressive or getting ahead of myself which in my opinion is what Taylor did!
      The human eye is the most confusing thing- and this dress has certainly not helped aye!

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  7. Emma Collins3 March 2015 at 00:01

    What I saw was white and gold just like many others on what really is something quite trival until the likes of Taylor Swift, Kim K etc started commenting. It's debates like this that starts of friendly but has the ability to quickly turn soar with harsh commenting.
    I prefer to use humour to avoid confrontation or conflict as communicating this way avoids offending people as long as you laugh with people and not at them and remain friendly.
    Ps what great publicity for the manufacturer of the dress...... Not that I would buy it x

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    1. Unknown3 March 2015 at 05:47

      Hi Emma!
      Thank you for your comment, I see what you mean, I'm much like you- I use humour to get myself out of certain situations because I have an awkward laugh (how awkward). Some of the comments Taylor received back showed that people were offended by this, for example "well it's OBVIOUSLY not"

      I agree- great PR for them!

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  8. Jo McHugh3 March 2015 at 03:23

    Well I see it as White & Gold, Taylor Swift is being quite arrogant and aggressive towards the whole episode, where Kim Kardashian West is quite chilled with it all and responding for her husband as well. Everone is entitled to their own opinion whether rightly or wrongly is called a democracy!!. Get over yourself Taylor and make it Swift(ly) :)

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    1. Unknown3 March 2015 at 05:49

      Hi Jo!
      Thank for your comment it is much appreciated! I'm glad you agree with me, Kimmy K takes the right approach to this conflict in my opinion, trying to get a lot of others viewpoints to resolve it in a calm and tasteful manner- rather than Taylor who is quite demanding on her opinion on others- not a great way to go about it!

      p.s. love the punn!!

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  9. Rebecca3 March 2015 at 06:09

    Now, this dress debate has been a huge issue of contention within my household, with my Dad going on and on about colour balance in photos. What's more, I have started to question my own sanity when it started off as black and blue, then changed to white and gold and back again! I think the most important thing however with any debate is to value and respect everyone's opinion. We can't all be right or wrong after all.

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    1. Unknown3 March 2015 at 13:47

      Hi Rebecca!
      Thank you for your comment! Yes I also had this thought- that maybe it was the colour balance and it was put in a negative photo edit, but apparently not! It's all scientific! Exactly and as we can see some people have taken that in a bad way and are using negative language like Taylor on twitter- which also makes you question what you can see!

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  10. Grace Glover3 March 2015 at 13:48

    The dress that has sparked posts online arguing over its original colour and the science behind the debate was interesting but what was more interesting was how stroppy some individuals got with voicing or tweeting their opinions. Lets be honest everyone like to be understood and i love a good friendly debate but nobody was ever going to win this conflict. I believe the answer to conflict is to be respectful and be diplomatic.
    What you dont need is criticism and contempt. You can never please everybody!

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    1. Unknown3 March 2015 at 13:57

      Hi Grace!
      Thank you for your comment, you make an extremely good; you are so right- people get extremely defensive when explaining their opinion, trying to force it on others- this is called a competing/forcing way of dealing with resolution. I, myself, am more of a collaborator- I tend to enjoy solving a problem together being co-operative, how about you?
      I agree, there is no way you could always please everybody and people will always disagree, if nothing else, we can just agree to disagree!

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  11. Jade Nicholas5 March 2015 at 13:06

    As Chris pointed out, these tweets were different styles; one wanting a response, the other just a comment.

    I agree with the comments that Taylor Swift has seemed to contradict herself a little, but then the difficulty in reading words rather than hearing people saying them is we don't know the tone it was written in - we have assumed shouting because it's in capitals but that's our assumption. If someone asks you a closed question in every day life you would give the answer you think, not sit there justifying why you didn't pick the other option.

    No one seems to have picked up on Kim saying "who is color blind?" If we are going to pick on Taylor Swift should we pick on her too as it seems she is assuming one of them (herself or Kanye) must be wrong? Or have I made an assumption there just like you all did for Taylor...

    I agree it's best to see things from other peoples perspective, as if everyone stays stubborn and doesn't back down or compromise then a solution can't be reached. However I also think that some people do back down a lot more than others to keep people happy so compromise and argument depends a lot on the personalities of the people involved and the subject matter.

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    1. Unknown7 March 2015 at 07:36

      Hi Jade, thank you for your comment!
      I see your point about Taylor because we don't totally know how she has said it because it's written and we cannot hear it for ourselves, it's just the way in which she has written it- the negative language and the use of capitals makes it look like she's shouting at trying to get her point across.

      I agree that Kim is stating that either of them are wrong, however, she is also asking everyone else- trying to get to the root of the problem and co operating in trying to find a solution rather than trying to get people to agree with her much like Taylor did... can you see my point?

      I am much like you, I think the best way to resolve a conflict is to take a step back and look at it from the others point of view because that way you will get an idea of the big picture, solving a conflict is hard when you can't get in the other persons head because you'll never know how they truly feel about a situation. It's a shame, and yes i agree, it totally depends on the person involved in the matter!

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