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

Pantone's Cloud Dancer, an off-white shade selected as the 2026 Color of the Year, has sparked fierce backlash on social media with critics drawing comparisons to Sydney Sweeney's controversial American Eagle campaign (Credit: Screenshot from X/Twitter)

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.