Why Are We Obsessed with Rose Gold?

Today I was reading Cosmopolitan when I happened upon a rather odd advert. An advert for a rose gold toothbrush - a toothbrush - which made me wonder why we are so obsessed with rose gold? Why do I love the colour, as well as copper and blush pink tones so much? Why do we have rose gold iPhones but not lavender silver or blue steel? Blue steel lol. Anyway, I did some googling and surprisingly didn't find a lot of answers, but this article by WIRED describes one possibility thanks to Pantone and the captivating theory of colour.

Photography by Sarah Johnson



Rose gold is everywhere we look, live, smell, walk, shop and breathe. You can't escape it, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. WIRED discusses how rose gold rose (ha) through society thanks to technology with Samsung and Apple's gadgets. But what really stood out to me in their article was the Pantone Institute's analysis of why rose gold is so popular:

"When we get to the rose family, we get these same kinds of verbiage: Compassion, composure, warmth, something that draws you in that has great appeal."

These are very positive connotations which I believe we all desire and try to express in our day to day lives, so no wonder we love the shade. Rose Quartz was selected as one half of Pantone's colour of the year for 2016 as it conveys a "sense of order and peace, something that speaks to people. Something that has a bit more mindfulness attached to it".

It is a colour that allows us an escape from the stresses of modern life and allows us to relax and detach, something everyone needs. Whether I'm wearing my cosy blush pink jumper (pictured) for comfort and warmth to relax, or my metallic rose gold skirt (pictured) for a night out to dress up and feel good, rose gold always makes me feel composed, in control, focused on the moment and, importantly to me, confident.

• Jumper | New Look | roughly £15, find similar here
• Skirt | ASOS | £30 - find similar here (£10)

I would definitely be interested in further research into why we are so obsessed with rose gold in particular, as thanks to that rose gold toothbrush my curiosity of colour theory and the psychology of colour perception has been sparked.

As Laurie Pressman, the Vice-President of the Pantone Color Institute, says, I think I'm having a bit of a 

"love affair with colour."

If, like me, you're interested in reading more about colour theory I suggest you head straight to Pantone's website and sign up to their newsletter. In the meantime however I have collated a few of my favourite articles of theirs for you to browse:

• A Love Affair With Color by Laurie Pressman
• Jason Wu and the Pantone Color Institute Unveil a Signature Color for His New Collection Grey Jason Wu by Laurie Pressman
• PANTONE Fashion Color Report Spring 2017 by Laurie Pressman
• The Pantone Color Institute Helps 'HeForShe' Select PANTONE 18-1945 Bright Rose as the Perfect Color for Their New Campaign by Kevin Minott

I'm interested in seeing if you agree with the connotations of rose gold and Rose Quartz, and if not, how do these colours make you feel? I hope you have enjoyed this little insight into my love for colour and please do let me know what colour you're obsessing with at the moment.

P.S. have you seen this shot on my Instagram for an upcoming rose gold themed photoshoot for university?