The 60-second rule? Colour theory? Yet more ways we’re supposed to live our lives
Why Read This
What Makes This Article Worth Your Time
Summary
What This Article Is About
Francesca Newton uses the viral resurgence of colour analysis — a TikTok trend that assigns women seasonal “palettes” governing what they may wear — as a lens to examine the broader phenomenon of rules-based content on social media. She observes how platforms like Instagram and TikTok have become saturated with prescriptive influencer culture, dictating everything from hairstyles to eating habits through an authoritative, doctrinal tone that prioritises compliance over personal preference.
Newton argues that this hunger for external rules is not merely manufactured by the economics of engagement, but reflects a genuine psychological need for certainty in an era of social and political instability. When real-world institutions and leaders fail to model reliable standards of conduct, people turn to digital gurus for a sense of order — even if the resulting prescribed existence offers only an illusion of control over life’s deeper uncertainties.
Key Points
Main Takeaways
Colour Analysis Goes Viral
A 1980s trend for assigning skin-tone “seasons” found a massive new TikTok audience in 2024, now policing women’s colour choices.
Imperative Mood Creates Authority
Influencers use commanding language to project expertise and urgency, regardless of whether they hold any relevant credentials.
Rules Sell Belief Systems
Unlike traditional advertising selling products, rules-based content sells gurus and ideologies — a more powerful and pervasive form of influence.
Instability Fuels Rule-Seeking
Periods of political and economic decline push people toward prescriptive content as a psychological shortcut to safety and social approval.
Real-World Rules Are Eroding
When societal leaders openly flout norms of decency and accountability, digital platforms rush in with alternative structures for personal conduct.
Compliance Can’t Replace Authenticity
Newton warns that rigidly following prescribed rules cannot insulate anyone from historical realities — genuine wellbeing requires personal agency.
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Article Analysis
Breaking Down the Elements
Main Idea
Rule-Hunger as a Symptom of Social Collapse
The viral demand for prescriptive lifestyle content — from colour palettes to dining etiquette — is not trivial vanity but a cultural symptom of eroding institutional trust and widespread political instability, revealing how deeply people crave order when authentic structures fail them.
Purpose
To Critique and Contextualise a Cultural Trend
Newton writes to critique the doctrinal tone of influencer culture, while genuinely contextualising why it appeals — acknowledging the psychological need behind the phenomenon rather than dismissing it as mere consumerism or vanity.
Structure
Anecdotal → Analytical → Socio-Political
Opens with a concrete TikTok scene, then broadens analytically to examine influencer mechanics and marketing psychology, before expanding to a socio-political diagnosis — moving from the personal to the structural.
Tone
Wry, Empathetic & Politically Acute
Newton writes with dry wit and self-aware candour — admitting her own susceptibility to rule-seeking — while maintaining a sharp critical eye on the political and economic forces shaping this cultural moment.
Key Terms
Vocabulary from the Article
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Tough Words
Challenging Vocabulary
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Actively converting or attempting to persuade others to adopt one’s beliefs, ideology, or way of life.
“Search ‘rules for life’ on Instagram and you’ll find millions of Jordan Petersons proselytising their way to be a person.”
Suggested or implied indirectly rather than stating something openly or explicitly.
“Directions on what you’re ‘supposed’ or ‘not supposed’ to wear, it intimated, should be followed even if it means sacrificing your own preferences.”
An outward appearance or form that conceals the true nature of something; a disguise or pretence.
“Under the guise of ‘etiquette’, rules reach into the most trivial parts of life.”
A reworking or reuse of old material in a new form, without significant innovation or originality.
“To an extent, all this is just a rehash of established advertising principles.”
Core principles or beliefs held by a person, group, or institution as foundational truths guiding behaviour or thought.
“Young people feel the conventional tenets of hard work and financial prudence no longer apply.”
Adding notes, comments, or marks to a text or image to explain, criticise, or draw attention to specific elements.
“Some videos are more explicit, annotating photos of celebrities dressing ‘against their palette’ with red crosses.”
Reading Comprehension
Test Your Understanding
5 questions covering different RC question types
1According to the article, the demand for rules-based content on social media is entirely manufactured by influencers for commercial gain and does not reflect any genuine psychological need in viewers.
2According to Newton, how does modern rules-based social media content differ most significantly from traditional advertising?
3Which sentence best explains why Newton believes influencers use commanding, authoritative language?
4Evaluate the following statements about the article’s claims regarding rules and social instability.
Newton suggests that people turn to influencer rules partly because conventional societal and political norms feel unreliable or have been openly undermined by leaders.
The article argues that following a small number of personal rules, such as meditating daily, is harmful and should be avoided entirely.
Newton draws a connection between the concept of “elegance” in lifestyle content and aspirations toward wealth or higher social status.
Select True or False for all three statements, then click “Check Answers”
5What can most reasonably be inferred about Newton’s view of the woman in the opening colour analysis video who says “Yeah” but “sounds unhappy”?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Colour analysis is a system for identifying which shades best complement a person’s skin tone, originally popular in the 1980s and 90s. It resurfaced on TikTok in 2024 by assigning users a seasonal “palette” — Spring, Summer, Autumn, or Winter — that dictates acceptable colours in their wardrobe, making it highly shareable and community-driven on social media.
Newton admits that even she feels a genuine pull toward these videos — a desire for guidance on how to look, live, and be. She argues this reflects a real human need for certainty and approval, especially when real-world institutions and leaders are failing to provide reliable moral or behavioural frameworks during periods of social and economic instability.
Newton argues that no amount of personal rule-following — colour palettes, morning routines, or productivity hacks — can remove a person from the broader social, political, and economic realities shaping their life. Rules create an illusion of control, but genuine resilience comes from finding ways to face one’s circumstances, not from achieving a “correct” version of oneself.
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This article is rated Intermediate. It uses a mix of everyday and more sophisticated vocabulary (words like “declamatory,” “proselytising,” and “homogeneity”), and its argument builds across multiple layers — moving from a specific TikTok anecdote to cultural critique to political diagnosis. Readers are expected to follow abstract reasoning and draw inferences beyond what is directly stated.
Francesca Newton is a commentator and columnist writing for The Guardian’s opinion section. Her work sits at the intersection of culture, politics, and everyday life — using sharp observations about social media trends, fashion, and consumer behaviour to examine broader questions of identity, power, and how people navigate modern instability.
The Ultimate Reading Course covers 9 RC question types: Multiple Choice, True/False, Multi-Statement T/F, Text Highlight, Fill in the Blanks, Matching, Sequencing, Error Spotting, and Short Answer. This comprehensive coverage prepares you for any reading comprehension format you might encounter.
