What was supposed to be a cute beachside photo turned into a viral internet moment for Madi Marotta, after a surprising detail in the background created an accidental (and hilarious) optical illusion.
Madi, known as @madimarotta on TikTok, was enjoying a sunny day at South Beach in Miami when she posed for a photo in a bright yellow bikini. Hoping to get the perfect shot for her Instagram, she smiled for the camera with waves crashing behind her and beachgoers lounging nearby.
But when she later reviewed the image, she spotted something mortifying: an outstretched arm from another woman in the background appeared to protrude from her bikini bottoms, making it look like she had a rather explicit appendage.
Rather than keeping the moment to herself, Madi took it in her stride and shared the image on TikTok with the caption: “I tried to take a cute pic on South Beach and this lady’s arm makes me look like my peen is hanging out. Enjoy.”
The clip quickly blew up, racking up more than 4 million views and nearly 700,000 likes. Commenters flooded the post with jokes, disbelief, and offers to help fix the illusion. “I WASN’T EXPECTING IT TO BE THAT BAD,” one person wrote. Another commented: “Reminder: don’t take pictures in front of people’s arms. Got it.” A third added: “I just laughed out loud in public.”
Many viewers volunteered to edit the photo, suggesting Madi could easily remove the offending arm using Photoshop. Others praised her for being such a good sport about the situation, calling it one of the funniest TikToks they’d seen in a long time.
In a follow-up video, Madi revealed that she had initially posted the photo to her Instagram feed just to see if anyone would notice the unfortunate visual trick. It didn’t take long. “Within five seconds, my friends started texting me,” she said, laughing. She ended up deleting the post shortly afterward.
Despite the embarrassment, Madi’s lighthearted reaction and sense of humor won her praise across social media. Many users noted that the viral moment served as a reminder that even the most well-posed pictures can be hijacked by background chaos, and that being able to laugh at yourself is always a win.
So while the original photo may not have made it to Instagram, it certainly made an impression on TikTok, one optical illusion at a time.