Rules: Why?

On one hand people complain bitterly about rules, about others, such as politicians' law-passing to the rules laid down by their religious leaders to fashion rules, telling them how to live their lives.
Contrarily people long for rules. They want to be told how to conduct themselves and how to live their life. One reason is that it absolves them from personal responsibility. Most seem oddly comfortable with these two diametrically opposed actions. This post is not an opinion, but rather me just wondering how people can so easily hand over decisions both big and small to others, rather than acting on their own.
Fashion magazines and blogs are a good example because their rules have no consequences really, yet people actually follow though with nonsense such as not wearing white after Labor Day, or in the case of this typical piece from ESQUIRE magazine, taking the words on the screen about when to wear shorts (!?) as some sort of guide for their own behavior.
The fitness world is especially swamped by rules and self-proclaimed experts. It takes a while to learn what's right for you when it comes to working out based on your personal ability, injuries, etc.
Rather than follow the command of some "expert" on how to proceed, question why you unthinkingly allow others influence over your life, to make rules for you to live by, dress by, work out by.