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Comment by afhof | Hacker News Reader

The interesting effect of bubbling is not so much that people appear naked, but that the original picture, containing clothed people (typically bikinis), appear naked.

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I've read this sentence 5 times and still have no idea what your argument is.

There are lots of pictures of naked people online. Millions probably. A visual effect that makes it look like someone is naked isn't that impressive, because there are naked people all over the place. The nudity aspect isn't the most precise description of what makes the bubbles effect interesting, it is the undressing aspect that makes it a interesting psychological/visual effect.

hence the word 'illusion'?

reading this made me blow mountain dew through my nose into my ramen

Why did you do that?

After the bubbling, the people aren't any "more naked" than before. Their clothes are no longer visible, sure, but the people aren't any more exposed.

not sure if serious....

I don't get it. Of course he's serious.

I am genuinely baffled by the people who think bubbled pictures are more NSFW than their unbubbled originals.

because if you are at 'work' or such environment that warrants the NSFW (Not Safe For Work) tag distinction and you click on a bubbled picture, it would give the illusion of viewing softcore pornography rather than, say, a typical bikini picture from a social networking site (which would arguably not be okay to view at work to being with).

Your mind fills in the gaps. What makes a picture NSFW is what it makes people think, not so much what it actually is.

The meaning of this statement is that bubbling is basically covering up more of the body then the bikini. So, technically a bikini reveals more than a bubbled bikini.

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