What Has Been Seen Cannot Be Unseen

About

What has been seen cannot be unseen, or simply cannot be unseen, is a catchphrase used to signify one’s incredulous reaction to a revelation of anomalies found in any given image. In similar vein to When You See It…, this widespread axiom suggests that one literally cannot forget or get rid of memories after visually experiencing displeasing photos or videos. While it originated with shock sites and images created with disturbing intent, the phrase can also be applied to images with hidden designs that you continue to notice after they have been pointed out, for example the arrow within the Fed Ex logo.

Origin

Although the phrase itself has been used for years to describe the inability to forget emotionally trying experiences^[6], its online usage began sometime in 2005. One of the earliest examples appeared on the Tribe Magazine forums^[4] to describe Tubgirl on November 3rd, 2005. In 2006, a thread on the eBaum’s World Forum^[5] was started, asking other users to share some images that cannot be erased from their minds.

Spread

Usage picked up in 2007^[13], coinciding with the creation of a demotivational poster featuring the phrase in caption. It was also used to describe looking at 4chan for the first time on the inCrysis gaming forum.^[1] Ten days later, it was used in a comment^[2] on a Neatorama post, also in reference to Tubgirl. In October 2007, humor blog Blame it on the Voices^[3] used it in a photo description, but the image has since been removed.

The single topic blog Can’t Be Unseen^[7] was registered in September 2009, focused on photos juxtaposing one image with a second pointing out its design flaws or hidden imageries. In 2010, several blogs began using the phrase as a tag for visually striking or odd images including the Daily What^[8], Geekologie^[9] and Blame It On The Voices.^[10] Buzzfeed^[12] highlighted a series of images that cannot be unseen in 2011 and Tumblr tag^[11] also hosts a collection of these photos

Notable Examples

Search Interest

Search for the phrase began in October 2007, with “cannot be unseen” overtaking in popularity in November 2009. However, they both have similar search patterns, with matching peaks and drops.

External References