"Pantone throws a party like this one annually, in conjunction with the announcement of its "Color of the Year." For 2026, it's "Cloud Dancer," which, the company notes in a press release, "serves as a symbol of calming influence in a frenetic society rediscovering the value of measured consideration and quiet reflection." The color, the release continues, also helps peel "away layers of outmoded thinking," "making room for innovation," and, of course, reminds us that "true strength lies not just in doing, but also in being." (It's white.)"
"The choice was controversial in the banal way that everything is controversial now. Some people noted, pointing to the news, that this was maybe not the year to publish a press release about how awesome whiteness is, and some other people found that argument to be a very serious symptom of the woke mind virus. People took to Instagram to call the choice tone-deaf, or to label it trolling, or, in a few cases, to announce that they were "rejecting" Cloud Dancer, as though the color itself were an unsavory ideology and not a band of light visible to the human eye."
An upscale Lower Manhattan event celebrated Pantone's Color of the Year announcement with curated installations and branded gifts. Pantone selected "Cloud Dancer," a white shade, describing it as a calming symbol for a frenetic society that values measured consideration, quiet reflection, peeling away outmoded thinking, and making room for innovation while emphasizing being over doing. The choice generated polarized responses: some criticized the timing and perceived celebration of whiteness, others dismissed critics as overly sensitive, and social media and news coverage amplified the debate. The episode raised concern about the state of public discourse and reflection.
Read at The Atlantic
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