Zodiac Sign, Shmodiac Sign

I have never quite understood the obsession with zodiac signs. I will meet people and within the first five minutes, they ask me “What is your sign?” I respond “Leo” and they make this “Oh” face. Apparently people aren’t too crazy about Leos. I think it is because Leos are known for being self-centered, stubborn, and vain. Maybe that is why I am not crazy about signs? Because I have lived life as the discriminated Leo. If that is the case, prepare for an incredibly biased article. Even so, I find it hard to believe that zodiac signs can attribute all these qualities to someone just because of the position of the planets around us when we were born. I guess it is kind of like religion, people believe what they want to believe to feel some kind of fulfillment. Whether what they believe is true or not, doesn’t really matter, because people will believe in what they want. 

My question is: Why do people believe or want to believe in zodiac signs? 

It is too easy to accept the qualities attributed to our signs because they are so ridiculously vague. “Virgos like to be the leader of the pack, but sometimes they don’t,” “Libras like to be the center of attention, yet they can also be introverts,” “Sometimes Scorpios have good days, sometimes Scorpios have bad days,” Blah, blah, blah. I am sorry, but am I the only one that finds these comical? I can’t read these descriptions without laughing to myself, but for some people, all their answers in life lie in those descriptions.  

22-year-old senior at Loyola Marymount University, Karina Nazarian, expresses a similar response to mine. “I think people like to hold on to the good aspects of their sign and hope they are true,” Karina shares as she looks worriedly over at her roommate, Victoria Ohanian, in fear of offending her. Victoria roles her eyes and laughs, clearly she is not offended, “I like reading about zodiac signs for entertainment, but I don’t take them seriously. I think people read them in whatever direction they want.” 

I agree, I find that people count on zodiac signs to better understand themselves. It is comforting to rely on some outside source to explain your actions and personality traits. Some people justify their break ups because their signs “just didn’t match up,” or feel like they didn’t get a job because the company was looking for a Taurus. Darn.

When looking for answers for yourself, it is so much easier find them in zodiac signs. Reading over the descriptions I have come across, I think to myself “Oh yeah, I have felt like that before.” or “Yeah, that is totally me.” Sometimes reading things you can relate to is a reassuring feeling that others think, feel and act like you. 

So yes, there was  a time in my life when I was trying to relate to my Leo-ness. That being said, I remember talking to an acquaintance about an argument I had with a friend and she asked me what sign I was. After responding, she looked at me and with the straightest face and with the most matter-of-fact tone said, “Oh well it is because you are a Leo. You are stubborn.” I cringed, fought the urge to laugh and say “No, I am stubborn because I am stubborn. Is that so hard to believe?”

It is instances like these where I am turned off by the strong influence of zodiac signs. Rather than offer advice, this girl felt the only explanation necessary was that I was a Leo and that should explain the rest. This example is a bit extreme and to be perfectly honest, that girl was a bit of a nut case, but  I was still bothered. 

It is not that I think zodiac signs are bad, but when they dictate one’s perception of other people, they can be detrimental for new relationships. When someone asks me what sign I am within the first five minutes of meeting, it is safe to assume they are making presumptions about me based off of what they read online. Zodiac signs act as another barrier alongside ethnicity, clothing, etc., used to make judgments on people while undermining their individuality before really getting to know them. 

So my one piece of advise for all zodiac sign enthusiasts: Get to know the person before you get to know their sign. 

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Alexandria Rousset