Pantone faces backlash for choosing white as 2026 Color of the Year, called 'painfully tone-deaf'

Pantone choosing a shade of white for the 2026 Color of the Year sparked progressive backlash over the weekend comparable to the reaction to the Sydney Sweeney American Eagle ad.

On Thursday, Pantone, the media company that specializes in naming colors, announced "Cloud Dancer" as its Color of the Year for 2026, calling it "a symbol of calming influence in a frenetic society."

"The cacophony that surrounds us has become overwhelming, making it harder to hear the voices of our inner selves." Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of Pantone Color Institute, said in a press release. "A conscious statement of simplification, Cloud Dancer enhances our focus, providing release from the distraction of external influences." 

The announcement on Eiseman's and Pantone's Instagram accounts received backlash from commentators and designers suggesting the choice was dull at best and politically charged at worst.

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Pantone announced "Cloud Dancer" as the 2026 Color of the Year. (Pantone)

"Friendly reminder that design and art is and has always been political..." Anthony Bruno Interiors wrote.

"Choosing the color white during this social and political climate really says something…" Rheefined Company designer Jason Rhee wrote.

"Choosing an almost-white shade as the Color of the Year right now is hard to separate from the broader cultural context we’re living in. When White supremacy is resurfacing loudly in national leadership and policy, elevating ‘white’ as the symbolic color of the year feels painfully tone-deaf. Color choices don’t exist in a vacuum — they reflect who was in the room, whose perspectives were missing, and what messages get unintentionally reinforced. I wish this decision showed more awareness of the world marginalized communities are navigating every day," Mx Domestic Fabric Shop owner Matthew Boudreaux commented.

Several media outlets also responded negatively to the color choice while suggesting it could have political implications.

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Progressive critics called the color choice "tone-deaf" and claimed it was politically motivated. (iStock)

"The whole thing sounds like it was lifted from a late-night show comedy skit. After a year of efforts by the Trump administration and corporations to roll back diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, alongside aggressive immigration crackdowns, it feels bold, and dare I say out of touch, to utter the words 'white is the color of 2026.'" Vanity Fair correspondent José Criales-Unzueta wrote on Thursday.

The Guardian editors Emma Joyce and Nick Miller joked how the company was "Pantonedeaf," pointing out previous years included colors such as a dark beige "mocha mousse" and "peach fuzz."

Washington Post reporter Rachel Kurzius also wrote, "White in decor is the ultimate neutral, but in a year filled with news about rising white nationalism, proclaiming a white the color of 2026 might raise some eyebrows."

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In response to the growing backlash, Pressman insisted to the Washington Post that the choice had nothing to do with skin color.

The backlash resembled an American Eagle advertisement featuring actress Sydney Sweeney that was attacked by progressive critics. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"Skin tones did not factor into this at all," Pressman said. "With Peach Fuzz and then with Mocha Mousse, people were weighing in and asking if this was about skin tones. And I think we were going, ‘Wow, really?’ Because for us it’s really about, at such a basic level, what are people looking for that color can hope to answer?"

Fox News Digital reached out to Pantone for further comment.

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The controversy resembled the progressive outrage against American Eagle over a viral jeans ad featuring actress Sydney Sweeney titled "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans." Critics accused the ad of pushing racial superiority and "Whiteness."

Despite the backlash, American Eagle has stood by the campaign.