Rhythmic Gymnastics Illusion

Laura Ours sent me this funny-looking photo she found, browsing rhythmic gymnastics on Yahoo! news. Where did the head got lost? This girl sure knows how to do gymnastics, but she obviously forgot to look after her body parts. Can we help her locate her missing piece? I can assure you there is no photoshop involved, and if you don’t believe me, check this similar example we had months ago. There was also a debate on Man’s Wrestling illusion article. Read them first, so we don’t get duplicate comments. I really love this kind of artistic photos. Do you? Thanks Laura for your great submission

55 Replies to “Rhythmic Gymnastics Illusion”

  1. nice illusion! i see her bending over backwards, as you can see from the rotation of her arms. that way, her head looks like its almost touching her back

  2. There is a similar picture of this, if not its the same exact one already on this site only no jump rope thingy, anyhow her head cant be in front of her because we are looking at her front already, you can kind of see her hair on the left side of her body, OUR LEFT her RIGHT, again I THINK

  3. No, what you are seeing is her back. She rotated her arms back so it looks like her hands are the right way, but they are not. Check out the feet too.

  4. Actually I have her head on my mantlepiece.

    I thought it would stop her from performing gymnastics, but it appears she went out without her head.

  5. I can see that her head is bent back, and the thing over her shoulder must be her hair.

    But, where has her other foot gone?

  6. The head was definitely photoshopped off. Crudely, I might add, and not sure the purpose of it. The whole jump rope thing is a pretty cool illusion though.

  7. I agree with 3dpeanutbutter. The angle that her shoulders are poining indicates that her head is flexed behind her. Great illusion!

  8. If you zoom in on the picture, the top of her head is right below her right armpit. You can see part of her face and part of her hair

  9. I’ve seen the video for this. The head is flexed backwards. Also, she’s in a gymnastics competition with a stadium around her, not on a sodden looking page with a skipping rope.

  10. When I opened the page I thought “hey didn’t they already have this one?” but you didnt! THis one is COMPLETLY different, there is a skipping rope in this one and there isn’t in the other one. WOW I know a huge difference eh? … *Sarcams for those who don’t get it*

  11. If you save the picture and zoom in on it her head is arched backwards and the thing behind her is her other foot..so Stephen methinks you an anon are both incorrect

  12. The first one wasnt photoshopped, you could see the angle at which she had to bend her body. This one is obviously photoshopped especially with the bad background and corny rope. Some cut out a gymnast with no head and pasted it on a cheesy grey photoshopped tile background.

  13. head is behind so u cannot c it, and her “missing” leg is folded (bended) towards her body so u cannot see it. I am correct, No?

  14. I agree with the first post here. The head is actually bent down onto her chest. Perhaps she is wearing a hair piece with a similar design as that of her dress making it appear as just a part of her chest.

    The dark piece on her outfit under her arm is simply a shadow and not a piece of hair. I find it would be impossible to bend your head backwards like that no matter how flexible you are. However laying it forward so your chin meets your chest is very possible and could give that perfectly cut off look as found in this picture.

    The gold and darker patch of red on her costume stand out making me believe that it is a hair piece and her head is bent down.

  15. It is a “scan effect”. Some digital cameras take pictures from the first line on top to the last line at bottom, but if the subject is moving very fast the final picture appears deformed. Like in these pictures:
    http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/2204/elicotterife4.jpg

    I made a replica of the same effect moving a paper cross during a scan:
    http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/5640/scanelicajp6.jpg

    A similar effect was used in many Zbigniew Rybczynski movies:
    http://www.zbigvision.com/The4Dim.html

  16. wow.. some of you all aren’t very smart are you!? she is doing a leap (the splits in the air) that is why her leg is behind her, it’s also bent a little, and her head is bent back, just because that is how you do it in gymnastics! and we are looking at the front of her, obviously.. if this was the back then the full leg you see is up-side down, the heel would be facing up! :)

  17. Wow..OK, for those of you just having a good time joking, this comment is NOT for you. But this is a rhythmic gymnast. Yes, her head is bent back that far and the rope is NOT photoshopped. RG requires extreme flexibility with significant oversplits and bending so much that you can touch your head to your rear! Do an image search on rhythmic gymnastics and you will see this pose from several angels including many that appear “headless”. Other than these poses, it is a beautiful sport where the participants make very difficult poses look effortless.

  18. Wow you guys are all really ignorant lol.
    I am a rhythmic gymnast, and IT IS possible to arch your back so your head touches the back of your knee, she is doing a split leap with extreme arch. the angle we are looking at is the front, and her chest. she is arching back, so we cant view her head. Type in “rhythmic gymnastics extreme split leap” on google images and you will see all kinds of photos like this, with the side angle. hope that answers questions for all those people who think they know it all :)

  19. She is a rythmic gymnast. They are renown of being extremly flexibily. She is performing a split leap. Her leap is extention (past 180′) and her head is back making it a ring leap. It is not an illusion – this picture is exactly real.

  20. yeah, what ‘gymnastics’ said..

    And to the one that said the photo was photoshopped/ the jump rope being an illusion…really?

  21. Why do the celebrity picture illusions hidden in the straight lines (Depp, Lennon) not work when printed out? I have tried in several sizes but you always see the picture, you can’t NOT see it from any distance or angle.

  22. I used to do elite gymnastics at the AIS in Canberra and she just has her head all the way back so it is touching her back. You will see exactly what I mean if you ever watch elite gymnastics on tv.

  23. I’m a gymnast too. She’s doing a split leap, her right leg is forward and left is back and bent so far it looks crazy – yeah it is possible… and like the other gymnasts here said, rhythmic gymnastics requires EXTREME, unnatural flexibility, and these girls have it. Her head is back so far it looks like shes headless, true, but it’s possible. Google a sideways shot of a rhythmic gymnastics leap and youll see. Truly amazing

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