'It's Giving Sydney Sweeney': Pantone's Tone-Deaf 2026 Color of the Year Triggers Social Media Meltdown

Pantone's selection of 'Cloud Dancer', a muted off-white hue, as its 2026 Colour of the Year has triggered a wave of condemnation across social media. Detractors are interpreting the choice as a symbolic erasure of diversity during a period of heightened racial tension.

The colour pick is described as 'billowy, balanced white imbued with a feeling of serenity'. The company insists that it serves as a symbol of calm in a hectic society. However, many critics see the choice as anything but calming, with some accusing the brand of deliberately stirring controversy similar to Sweeney's 'great genes' advertisement for American Eagle, which sparked accusations of promoting eugenics and white supremacy earlier this year.

'Openly Mocking Us With Purity White'

Social media users have not held back in their criticism of Pantone's decision.

'Let's be honest, whiteness is being weaponised every where right now. It's in our politics, our media, our police forces, our borders. Instead of reading the room, Pantone basically branded it a lifestyle,' one woman posted on TikTok. 'It's not just out of touch, it's symbolic. It's a reminder of who still controls the narrative. They are openly mocking us, choosing purity white as the cultural color of the year whilst the rest of us are screaming for humanity.'

The backlash has been particularly fierce from critics who view the timing as especially problematic given the current political climate in America.

'Pantone choosing white or cloudy days as colour of the year is a political statement. Call me too woke, I don't care. I don't think I'm wrong,' another fumed in a TikTok video that quickly went viral. 'It's giving Sydney Sweeney has good genes. You're going to choose white and market it as a soothing reset? For who, babe? Who is that soothing?'

Sydney Sweeney Comparisons Draw Controversy

The repeated references to Sydney Sweeney stem from the actress's controversial American Eagle campaign, which launched earlier this year under the tagline 'Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans'. The campaign, which featured the blonde, blue-eyed actress discussing how 'genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour' before concluding 'My jeans are blue', sparked widespread accusations of promoting eugenics and white supremacy.

The campaign prompted some viewers to say it promoted eugenics, a discredited scientific theory popular amongst white supremacists. The controversy became so intense that American Eagle eventually removed the most controversial video from its social media channels, though the company later defended the campaign, stating it 'is and always was about the jeans'.

Sweeney herself recently addressed the controversy for the first time, telling People magazine: 'I was honestly surprised by the reaction. I did it because I love the jeans and love the brand. I don't support the views some people chose to connect to the campaign.'

'Pantonedeaf': Brand Accused of Missing the Moment

Critics have coined terms like 'Pantonedeaf' on Instagram to describe what they perceive as the company's failure to recognise the political and social implications of its choice.

'Did you forget to read the room?' one white woman raged. Another griped: 'Your choice is about as inspired as mayonnaise.'

Some users took a different approach to their criticism, with one joking that the colour choice was a recession indicator, adding that 'Pantone can't afford colour this year and neither can anyone else'. The comment referenced growing online discourse about Cloud Dancer being 'colorless' and symbolic of economic uncertainty.

This marks the first time Pantone has chosen a shade of white since the company began naming a Color of the Year in 1999. The selection was made by the Pantone Color Institute, whose executive director Leatrice Eiseman stated: 'At this time of transformation, when we are reimagining our future and our place in the world, Pantone 11-4201 Cloud Dancer is a discrete hue offering a promise of clarity.'

Pantone's Selection Process

The Pantone Color Institute's selection process is driven by identifying colours 'that are bubbling up across design and tying this to the zeitgeist', according to a company spokesperson. The team of colour researchers and trend forecasters consider factors from fashion, art, technology and travel when choosing a shade that reflects the spirit of the coming year.

Previous selections have included Mocha Mousse for 2025, described as offering 'warmth and harmony', and Peach Fuzz for 2024, chosen for its 'gentle and nurturing' qualities.

Despite Pantone's stated intentions of promoting serenity and simplification, the backlash suggests many view the selection through a different lens entirely—one coloured by ongoing debates about race, representation and political symbolism in contemporary American culture. Whether Cloud Dancer will become ubiquitous in design and fashion throughout 2026, as previous selections have, remains to be seen. For now, it appears the colour has succeeded primarily in becoming the subject of heated debate rather than peaceful contemplation.