Spinning Woman Optical Illusion

This is a great optical illusion. When you first look you’ll see her spinning in one direction. Now focus on her shadow, and try to imagine her spinning in the opposite direction. Alternatively, tilt your head down and look at her out of the top of your eyes, and try to imagine her spinning in the opposite direction. Sooner or later she’ll switch for you.

Comments (89)

  1. William wrote::

    It “miraculously” changes directions EXACTLY every 30 seconds every time I’ve timed it when I grew suspicious this was just a GIF counting down and reversing so this in not an illusion.

    Friday, July 13, 2007 at 11:38 am #
  2. Reuben wrote::

    No, every frame is ambiguous. I’ve watched it for a minute, and it doesn’t change. Also, I can change it at will, 5 seconds apart, by looking down at the shadow. My guess is that at the 30 second mark you’re looking at the watch and back up, or similar. It really does move in the direction the brain “expects” it to move.

    Friday, July 13, 2007 at 11:43 am #
  3. Nick wrote::

    You fucking moron. If you focus on the woman and ignore the shadow for longer than 30 seconds she’ll remain spinning in the same direction. Then try focussing on the shadow.

    Monday, October 8, 2007 at 6:44 pm #
  4. HMB wrote::

    Would this not work on any spinning object in silhouette? Since you can’t tell which side is which (left, right), ie, when she’s facing you or which leg/arm is up and out, your brain has to make a decision. So when your brain assumes her right leg is out, she’s spinning clockwise, and when your brain assumes her left leg is out, she’s spinning counter-clockwise. Get her to “change direction” by forcing yourself to see her “front” as her “back”, and vice versa. It’s easiest for me to force my brain to reverse by watching her legs. The switch happens as her legs merge.

    Thursday, October 18, 2007 at 1:09 pm #
  5. dor wrote::

    While I have been able to do by just wanting her to go the other way, the easiest way is definitely to look at her foot, and when it reaches 180 degrees to think its going to opposite way.

    Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at 6:45 pm #
  6. Kristin wrote::

    It’s not rigged. I watched this in my science class on a projection screen and its a left brain right brain thing. In the classroom people some people saw her spinning clockwise, some counterclockwise at the same time. Also she doesn’t switch at the same time for everyone, for some she doesn’t switch at all.

    To test it, show it to a friend and have them explain what they are seeing.

    Wednesday, November 7, 2007 at 6:48 pm #
  7. Natalie wrote::

    My mom showed me this in an email and i would point to her front and my mom would say that it was her back, it is really confusing to realize you are looking at the same image! i think it is cool that i can make her switch the direction she turns that means that i can use my left and right brain dominantly!

    Wednesday, November 7, 2007 at 7:58 pm #
  8. Daniel wrote::

    I see it going clockwise. I’m left-handed so guess that makes sense, my right brain is dominant, so I want her to go “east”. I’ve tried really hard to make her go ‘west” ie anti-clockwise but the only way anything changes is if I zoom in fairly close. Then I get the feeling she is moving both clockwise and anti-clockwise at the same time. Kinda a weird feeling.

    Tuesday, January 29, 2008 at 10:10 am #
  9. a person wrote::

    it ia not an illustion its just going the oppisit way to make it seem like its in illuston but its not

    Sunday, February 3, 2008 at 2:48 pm #
  10. wtf wrote::

    very strange, all of you say its an illusion but explain this, you see she has an arm thats bent and a leg thats lifted. how come when she changes direction, her bent arm changes from left to right (and vice versa) also her leg changes from left to right (and vice versa). how come my brain can mistake a bent thing for something thats straight or a lefted leg for a leg thats on the ground?

    Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at 7:27 pm #
  11. Denise wrote::

    It spins counter clockwise and never changes for me.

    Friday, February 29, 2008 at 2:01 pm #
  12. Scott wrote::

    Think of her clockwise and watch the foot she’s standing on, it doesn’t match up with the shadow. i.e: the toes point in the opposite direction.

    Thursday, March 13, 2008 at 8:05 pm #
  13. Marinko wrote::

    If you look at the way the woman positions her body, you’ll see that she is rotating clockwise. If you look at her shadow, however, you can see that as her foot rotates around the back of the image her foot is facing outwards showing that she is rotating counterclockwise.

    Those that see the image rotating clockwise experience the more artistic view, which seems like the woman is leaning forward in a more flowing twirl. That contributes to the creative side of your brain: the right side. Upon closer examination, if you saw that the shadow spacial perception wouldn’t match up with the woman rotating clockwise, so she must be spinning counter clockwise, the left side of your brain would be thinking in terms of what is more logical.

    What you are actually seeing is not a woman, but a series of black shapeless forms that are bound together into a video that when set in motion like a flip book would appear to be of a woman.

    Sunday, March 30, 2008 at 5:49 pm #
  14. Tanya wrote::

    she doesn’t spin at all, she moves in a pendulum movement, always with her back to me.

    Friday, April 18, 2008 at 8:01 am #
  15. Chula Min wrote::

    Although I found that I can get the image to switch directions at will, If I look at something just to the left of the image and look at it with my peripheral vision it appears to just turn back and forth. Fascinating!

    Friday, May 9, 2008 at 11:36 am #
  16. andy wrote::

    I think she has great TiT’s

    Tuesday, May 13, 2008 at 12:45 am #
  17. benny wrote::

    i see her goin both ways too. but i am using a mirror so that might be why. its well easy tho

    Sunday, June 1, 2008 at 6:31 pm #
  18. Somebody wrote::

    I agree. It did that to me. At first she was lifting her left foot and her right arm and then suddenly, she changed and she was doing to opposite thing (right foot and her left arm.)

    Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 6:02 pm #
  19. Tom Morris wrote::

    It’s not fake.
    Download and install Irfanview, go to options and extract all frames.
    Go experiment with proceeding manually through the frames.
    Pay special attention to what happens around frames 8 and 25, here the woman is seen from the side, the direction of spin will depend on whether you are visualizing the woman standing on her left leg, with her right leg lifted, or standing on her right let with her left leg lifted.

    Saturday, October 11, 2008 at 8:09 am #
  20. daijean11 wrote::

    i’ve tried what you said and it really changed direction after about 30 seconds..

    ahh..i don’t know what to believe..

    Friday, November 7, 2008 at 1:45 pm #
  21. eric wrote::

    I see her spinning counter colckwise. I wonder who wrote the program and which way they made it spin. This would be the Logical question. No theory just facts.

    Tuesday, November 11, 2008 at 7:49 pm #
  22. eric wrote::

    How do you get it (spinning woman) from your e-mail to this program.

    Tuesday, November 11, 2008 at 8:02 pm #
  23. Tom Morris wrote::

    Save the .gif file by right clicking on the image at the top of this screen and select “Save image as” then save to your desktop.
    If you have a problem, find another copy of it online.

    Wednesday, November 12, 2008 at 5:10 am #
  24. Jazymann wrote::

    I can see the woman spinning both ways. If you can do this, tests have proved that you would usually have a strong IQ.

    Friday, December 5, 2008 at 2:58 pm #
  25. nancy wrote::

    I looked at this for days and could only see it clockwise. My kids were saying no, it changes, and I just could not see it. Not to be bested by a bunch of kids, I studied and studied and FINALLY it changed. Now it changes for me all the time, once you see it. At first it appeared she was ALWAYS on that left leg and always had her right arm extended. You can make yourself see it the other way if you will just look to the right or left of the image and see the woman with your peripheral vision. If you do this long enough, it will change. It will never change if you stare intently at the woman because you will continue to see it as you always have. Stare to the right a few minutes; it will change.

    Tuesday, January 13, 2009 at 10:29 pm #
  26. Elizabeth wrote::

    uhhh, it is an illusion…just keep looking at her and the direction wont change..

    Friday, February 27, 2009 at 2:22 pm #
  27. sam wrote::

    i can only consciously make it change when looking at the ankle…. i can get to a point where i view the foot rotating one way, then reversing and going to the other side, but never making a full revolution. then i can simply let it continue to rotate when its going the direction that i want. however, i cant do this with the outer (outstretched) leg, so if i keep it in this stage where its never rotating the whole way around, the leg that is held in the air continues in complete, monodirectional rotations while the bottom leg rotates halfway back and forth ‘~’

    Friday, February 27, 2009 at 10:49 pm #
  28. marcie wrote::

    This stupid women only spins counter clockwise for me. Can’t get it change! Very frustrating knowing others can.

    Wednesday, March 18, 2009 at 7:59 pm #
  29. TMills wrote::

    I can see her rotating both ways, however when I’m trying to “change” the way I see her it appears as if she doesn’t turn but bounces from side to side never making a complete circle. I suppose the sides of my brain are fighting for dominance.

    Tuesday, May 5, 2009 at 5:35 am #
  30. Jim wrote::

    Notice when she appears to be spinning clockwise, her head is leaning to the right. When she appears to be spinning counter clockwise, her head leans to the left. This is a trick, not your eyes playing tricks on you. It is like a mirror image, as opposed to a reversal of motion.

    Monday, May 18, 2009 at 11:46 am #
  31. CHRISTOPHER wrote::

    awesome body no matter which way she spins…counter clock is the most revealing

    Tuesday, May 26, 2009 at 10:53 pm #
  32. Christopher wrote::

    that counter clock wise turn is most revealingmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

    Wednesday, June 17, 2009 at 2:04 pm #
  33. Shaun wrote::

    That is just a coincidence it is a not GIF because if you get a friend and look at it at the same time like i did we saw it go different ways at the same time proving that yes it is an illusion but i don’t know about the whole left brain right brain thing.

    Friday, July 17, 2009 at 12:34 pm #
  34. Michelle wrote::

    its a scam. i see it going both ways.
    when she goes clockwise its her right arm
    and when she goes anticlockwise its her left arm

    Thursday, July 23, 2009 at 3:44 am #
  35. Robyn wrote::

    this is pretty cool, i realized that when i read it turns to the right, and when i concentrate on the music that is playing in the background it turns in the other direction :)

    Thursday, July 23, 2009 at 6:37 pm #
  36. CHRISTOPHER wrote::

    where is the music…don’t hear it…maybe just so amazed that with the least thought I get her to change…now what about the music…awesome bodymmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

    Thursday, July 23, 2009 at 11:18 pm #
  37. Danielle wrote::

    I see her spinning both directions, I’m able to switch back and forth by watching the shadow.

    Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at 9:39 pm #
  38. Anne Hiro wrote::

    Yes. Anticlockwise,

    Or, to non-retards,

    COUNTER-Clockwise.

    Protip: Learn to read.

    Monday, August 3, 2009 at 12:06 pm #
  39. Holly wrote::

    Actually, I’ve been watching it for awhile and it has only gone clockwise for me . However my brother sees it go anticlockwise but sees it change direction occasionly.

    Sunday, August 16, 2009 at 10:33 pm #
  40. Christopher wrote::

    still the most awesome Lady which ever way She spins

    Monday, August 17, 2009 at 7:49 am #
  41. Ccampa wrote::

    I see her moving in both directions without completing a revolution.

    Wednesday, August 19, 2009 at 9:31 am #
  42. homeflash wrote::

    After a while, you will find it easy to control when it turns.
    here is the method I discovered.

    First, look at the spinning foot, when it goes to the corner (of the box), the switch your focus to the same hip, then it will turn either clockwise or anti clockwise! (don’t look at the upper part of the body or they will keep spinning on you :) )

    Friday, August 21, 2009 at 1:41 pm #
  43. the poop wrote::

    thats true i did the same thing. i dont see it switch and she did.

    Tuesday, August 25, 2009 at 11:19 am #
  44. robert wrote::

    took me about 30 seconds to get the change in direction going.
    had a closer look at it and worked out how it works.
    its a matter of perspective.
    the image is not 3D and because it is black you cannot tell wether you are
    looking at the front or the or the back of the girl,except when she is side on and
    when she is side on you cannot tell wether you are looking at her left side or her right side.
    so depending on which perspective your brain takes she will spin one way or the other.
    change your perspective and you change the direction.
    with a bit of practice you can change her direction every half rotation.

    Friday, September 11, 2009 at 11:44 pm #
  45. WhiskyLT wrote::

    Not fake.
    Real 100%
    Rly nice ;]]

    Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 10:31 am #
  46. lee wrote::

    the body is tilted, the left foot is a bit angled…..

    try to look at the shadow when the shadow of the left foot is aligned with the leg, thats the time that it looks like its changing direction, but its really just spinning on the same direction… clockwise…

    :)

    Sunday, September 20, 2009 at 2:48 pm #
  47. Robert wrote::

    lee! there is no specific direction, it is a sequence of flat images and depending on what perspective your brain takes of these images it will appear to rotate . As I said before with a bit of practice you can change the direction it appears to spin every half turn . Remember its a series of flat images that our brain interprets as 3D .
    Side Note : at some points in the sequence of images you cannot tell weather you are looking at the front or the back or the left or the right side of the lady , this happens 4 times during the sequence of images.
    these are the points where you can change the direction the lady appears to spin.

    Sunday, September 20, 2009 at 4:34 pm #
  48. Robert wrote::

    sorry my mistake , i have look look at the image again , this time frame by frame and every frame can be interpreted as back or front & left or right

    Sunday, September 20, 2009 at 6:46 pm #
  49. kristine wrote::

    so confused if its my brain or the image it self thats making the lady chang position, i made my partner look at it the same time i was looking at it too..he was seeing the woman clockwise and i was seeing it counter-clockwise but i can change it by looking at the shadow…

    Thursday, October 1, 2009 at 3:07 am #
  50. Eric wrote::

    She can spin whichever way she wants…in fact she can do whatever she wants. She can stop still as far as I’m concerned. With a figure like that, she is control (for me anyway!)

    Sunday, November 1, 2009 at 3:27 pm #
  51. Scott wrote::

    Anyone who thinks it is fake, do this test:

    Use your iPhone or anything else to record video of it while you watch it on screen and say what you see. Then keep watching, and note out loud when you “notice” it switching.

    When you play the video on your phone back you will almost certainly not see her change directions as when you first did so “live.”

    Friday, November 6, 2009 at 1:29 pm #
  52. Tera wrote::

    Oi! I was supposed to be doing my homework! Somehow I’ve been looking at this thing for the past 2 hours now! Eep! Umm… how many people think my math teacher’s going to cut me some slack? By the way, awesome illusion. I freaked out my brother.

    Monday, November 16, 2009 at 8:03 pm #
  53. TheOldMan wrote::

    And if you notice that she is nude and well constructed, then you do not need glasses.

    Friday, November 20, 2009 at 3:48 pm #
  54. CHRISTOPHER wrote::

    no matter which she turns awesome nipples…plus a super outline of bush country…wish I had her upon my wall

    Friday, November 20, 2009 at 5:04 pm #
  55. Christopher wrote::

    Hello Tanya…in a pendulum motion…could you explain more…Christopher

    Saturday, November 28, 2009 at 10:18 am #
  56. smee wrote::

    yup yup, it’s not fake, it’s an optical illusion.

    like some of you have said, it’s all got to do with the silhouette… the fact that it’s all in black and just a 2d image.

    i’d say it was explained best by robert…. you can change it at will by switching your perspective and deciding to make her go in the other direction.

    i never even noticed the shadow till i came to this site. before then i would always switch it when her extended leg is coming down, and visualize it swinging in the other direction.

    great illusion! and christopher… what’s with the perverted comments? :P

    Sunday, November 29, 2009 at 3:11 pm #
  57. Alice wrote::

    it really is an iliusion. i can make her spin left-right-left-rigt-and so on for as long as i want. its not a 30 second thing, the secret lies in her hips. look at them and she should spin where ever you want her to

    Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at 7:54 pm #
  58. me wrote::

    It’s spinning left and right as soon as the legs cross each other it switches direction.

    Wednesday, January 27, 2010 at 11:29 am #
  59. Bridgett wrote::

    For a very clear explanation (and help getting it to change directions if you can’t do it), go to http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/sze_silhouette/index.html

    Note: This page used to always load the spinning woman (the one referred to as “on the right you see the silhouette of a spinning figurine). For some reason, this time I had to refresh the page a few times before it actually showed the spinning woman. Probably something to do with FlashPlayer.

    Monday, February 1, 2010 at 6:12 pm #
  60. CHRISTOPHER wrote::

    she can spin which ever way for with out a doubt she is the most awesome woman ever

    Monday, February 1, 2010 at 10:20 pm #
  61. Emily wrote::

    It is a fake. I wasn’t even focusing on it and it still changed directions!

    Sunday, February 14, 2010 at 7:30 pm #
  62. Emily wrote::

    Never mind it really does work:)

    Sunday, February 14, 2010 at 7:36 pm #
  63. Andrew wrote::

    I can make is switch every time I look down. It certainly is not random or timed. Freaky, but not random/timed.

    Wednesday, February 17, 2010 at 8:36 pm #
  64. danc13 wrote::

    She’s not spinning at all. THAT’S the illusion. It’s a series of 2D shapes that trick our brain into seeing “movement” just the way all animation works.
    Furthermore, our brain associates the white/black contrast with an illusion of spatial depth. This is the visual premise behind all 2D imagery. The combination of imagined movement plus imagined space, along with a recognizable symbol (the human body), tricks our brain into presuming a causal relationship. In an instant we decide that one of her shoulders or hands or legs is closer to us, that her back is towards or away from us, and then our brain predicts the direction of the “spin.” Freeze any frame of it, and you’ll see that her orientation in imagined space is always reversible.
    I’m not sure that it’s a right brain/left brain phenomenon. Our brains just seem to have a preference for

    Tuesday, March 9, 2010 at 8:10 pm #
  65. danc13 wrote::

    clockwise in this case. Maybe because she’s tilted towards us rather than away?

    Tuesday, March 9, 2010 at 8:12 pm #
  66. me wrote::

    The bitch is spinning clockwise, you’re all on fucking crack.

    Tuesday, March 9, 2010 at 10:05 pm #
  67. Cisio wrote::

    it’s ridiculous how much time an energy you people spend on useless discussion. Noone is right or wrong here. ‘She’ doesn’t spin left or right for she doesn’t spin at all, nothing spins there. It’s a black 2D blob that quickly deforms left and right!

    Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 6:21 am #
  68. Beka wrote::

    I focused on the direction her pony wail was moving, and i think its a fake, because the ponytail switches from facing right going clockwise circles, to opposite.so, im calling fake. and there was not looking down or away, i focues on the ponytain for a good few minutes without looking away, you can actually SEE the switch

    Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 12:40 pm #
  69. Christopher wrote::

    awesome body no matter which way she turns

    Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 1:52 pm #
  70. Mike wrote::

    Use your cellphone to record the video until she switches direction and then play it back. See if she switches at the exact same time when you play it back over and over. If she doesn’t, it’s not a fake. If she does, it’s a fake. I tried this and concluded it was not fake.

    Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 3:11 pm #
  71. wow wrote::

    this is crazy and it works!!!!!!!!!!!!:DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

    Monday, April 19, 2010 at 7:01 am #
  72. Celine wrote::

    It’s obvious that the fact the legs are shadows its impossible to know which one is behind the other and which one is in front. However, how we can get confused about which is the back and which is the front is so frustrating! We can SEE the hair and the shape of the back that marks it as the back of the woman and yet no-one agrees on it being the back!

    Saturday, April 24, 2010 at 9:21 pm #
  73. Celine wrote::

    Oh and IT IS NOT A FAKE! Please stop commenting that like like you’re the only non-gullable person on the earth.
    If you want to see that it’s not a fake and have a frustrated laugh too, call a friend to watch it with you. They’ll probably be pointing out the front as you’re pointing at the back and claim her to be turning in the opposite direction!

    Saturday, April 24, 2010 at 9:24 pm #
  74. Celine wrote::

    And to all those who say: “She’s spinning clockwise you bafoons!!!!” remember that only people with less than 90 of IQ sees her going in only one direction. So I’d watch who I call bafoons if I were you.

    Saturday, April 24, 2010 at 9:26 pm #
  75. Christopher wrote::

    either way see turns her body is superb

    Monday, April 26, 2010 at 11:06 am #
  76. Christopher wrote::

    no one seems to have a good answer…too me it’s awesome front or back…

    Monday, April 26, 2010 at 2:53 pm #
  77. Benedict wrote::

    lolz..
    its not a fake..
    i can change its direction at will..
    even every 2 seconds..
    just looks at his toes..
    poor u guys..(those who cannot see and say its a fake)

    Thursday, May 6, 2010 at 7:22 am #
  78. Benedict wrote::

    lolz..
    its not a fake..
    i can change its direction at will..
    even every 2 seconds..
    just looks at her toes.. (typo)
    poor u guys..(those who cannot see and say its a fake)

    Thursday, May 6, 2010 at 7:23 am #
  79. CHRISTOPHER wrote::

    wish she was in live colour…she is great black and white…can you picture her as a red head..mmmmmmmmmm

    Thursday, May 6, 2010 at 9:56 pm #
  80. Charles Fish wrote::

    At first I saw her spinning in one direction. After scrolling down to read comments, and scrolling back up, I noticed that her left arm was out instead of her right one as before! After a few minutes I can make her switch, or make it look like she’s in harmonic motion, always facing me. I define which way she spins by looking at her foot, and then looking up at the rest of her.

    My advice: Try covering up everything but her feet with your hand, and try to imagine she’s always facing you. That might work..

    Saturday, May 22, 2010 at 10:08 pm #
  81. Lexi wrote::

    actually william it IS an illusion cuz i can make it change at random times thats just you

    Monday, May 24, 2010 at 6:15 pm #
  82. CHRISTOPHER wrote::

    nicely formed breasts…mmmmmmmmmmno matter which way she spins

    Monday, May 24, 2010 at 6:55 pm #
  83. Andy wrote::

    it’s cool to see how many years apart the comments are

    Monday, June 14, 2010 at 10:49 pm #
  84. Christopher wrote::

    if your mind is free of your thinking…she turns at your will not a lapsed amount of time…just an awesome body…

    Tuesday, June 15, 2010 at 7:42 am #
  85. Smarter than most wrote::

    She is changing feet every once and awhile. That is not complicated at all. What I want to know is why did the artist feel like her nipples had to be poking out?!

    Friday, June 25, 2010 at 6:24 am #
  86. CHRISTOPHER wrote::

    the lady is so excited knowing she is driving everyone wild…male or female…am a nipple checker my self…

    Friday, June 25, 2010 at 6:38 am #
  87. nmichave wrote::

    When I first looked, her nipples were spinning clockwise. It didn’t take much for me to make her nipples spin the other way.

    Friday, July 16, 2010 at 8:34 am #
  88. ram wrote::

    I think it’s a fake. One minute her left leg is sticking out and then her right leg is sticking out. Same with the bent arm. If her posture stayed the same and she changed direction I might believe it as an illusion but it’s a gif just changing.

    Wednesday, August 4, 2010 at 1:46 pm #
  89. Christopher wrote::

    no matter which way she spins her nipples are great

    Wednesday, August 4, 2010 at 1:53 pm #

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