Whose legs are whose? Photo of couple's embrace stumps the internet

The photo has been viewed over 1.6 million times since being shared on Imgur. Photo / Imgur

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A photo of a couple hugging on a beach has the internet bewildered as viewers try to work out where the man ends and the woman begins.

The confusion lies in the part of the image where the woman's legs appear to be in front of the man's, while her torso is behind him.

The explanation lies in the colours of the man's shorts. Photo / Imgur

Uploaded to Imgur by Reddit user Blood_Reaper, the photo was captioned: "my brain hurts" and has been viewed over 1.6 million times.

It didn't take long for other users to be puzzled by the shot.

Bigshaggybutts wrote: "Honestly it took me a good minute to realize what was happening as well. Stupid brains!"

While WhatTheF***sALommy said: "It's crazy how I understand the picture now, but even still at quick glance my brain can't comprehend."

Eventually Bigshaggybutts shared an explanation: "His shorts are two colors. White in the middle, black on the outside."

Howmanypandas made reference to another image that had the internet stumped, based on the colours of the clothing item, by asking: "Are those shorts white and gold?"

- nzherald.co.nz