#TheDress meme used in Salvation Army anti-violence campaign

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The Salvation Army in South Africa knows you’ve probably seen the color-confusing viral dress, and they have adopted the sensation to give it a message: fighting domestic abuse.

The South African ad agency Ireland Davenport came up with the idea for the ad, which shows a woman wearing the white and gold version of the dress, lying on her side, with cuts and bruises on her legs. The captain says, “Why is it so hard to see black and blue.”

“The only illusion is if you think it was her choice,” the text says. “One in six women are victims of abuse. Stop abuse against women.”

David Sutherland, an account director at Ireland Davenport, said the idea came up in discussing ways to reach the greater public. “We were discussing how the dress has become a massive talking point around the world, but it was not saying anything,” he said. “We tried to figure out a way in which we could leverage off of the popularity of THE dress and actually use it for good.”

“Firstly, we hope to raise awareness against the atrocity of women abuse,” Carin A. Holmes, a spokeswoman for the Salvation Army, told NBC News on Friday.