Why zodiac shaming is nothing but a petty celestial reason to hate people

“Zodiac shaming,” or discrimination against individuals based on the zodiac signs they were born into, is driven by gross generalisations and prejudices that are largely detrimental towards the health of society

Rubina’s elder sister, Reena, is looking for a life partner. However, she has a caveat. “He must not be a Scorpio, Capricorn, or Cancer,” says Rubina. Her sister, a Gemini, has let go several matches over the past 8-12 months, owing to her cynicism about individuals belonging to certain zodiac signs. “Yes, my sister is an astrology nerd. And yes, she is not going to settle for anyone who she thinks isn’t a match with her stars,” she says.

What Rubina mentions is a phenomenon largely referred to as “zodiac shaming,” or discrimination against individuals based on the zodiac signs they were born into. Much like any other form of discrimination, the one informed by zodiacs is also driven by gross generalisations and prejudices that, more often than not, are detrimental towards the health of society at large.

“We live in a world where we are being shamed enough—and more—for our bodies, our identities, our genders and sexualities. Why do we need to add one more thing to the list, especially something like your birth chart, which you have zero control over?” asks Rubina, who is a human resource executive at a private firm in Bengaluru, where one of the hiring managers, in fact, happens to be biased against people born under the signs of Leo and Libra. “Can you imagine being a perfect fit for a job, only to be rejected based on your sun sign? It’s ridiculous!” Rubina says, especially since in India, like in every known nation, people born into certain zodiac signs do not qualify as a “protected class” or a “historically oppressed group,” owing to which while it may not be technically illegal to discriminate against your Leo or Libra colleague, it still is unethical to do so.

The surprising prevalence of zodiac shaming

In 2019, dating and networking app Bumble introduced a zodiac filter, where subscribers could choose a potential match by checking the person’s zodiac sign. In a statement accompanying this move, the company mentioned: “We at Bumble want to help you find people you’re most compatible with, whether that means you hold the same core values or share an interest, from fitness to wine. Now, we’re going a step further: looking at how the stars are aligned for you.” While on the surface, the idea appears to be benign, it, however, runs the risk of perpetuating superstitions that have conventionally fuelled the arrange marriage system in a country like India, where families are known to have gone to unimaginable lengths to find matches for their children, as dictated by their natal charts.

For 28-year-old Tavish Dewan (last name changed on request), a software engineer based in Vadodara, his family’s clock to get him married has been ticking ever since he turned 25. “Unlucky in love,” as his parents have termed his fate, Tavish has now been forced into looking for a bride through matrimonial sites and dating apps. His mother’s only condition, however, is that the woman cannot have “Taurus in her moon.”

“Can you believe it?” he asks. “Even till the point they were limited to sun signs, it was okay, but now it’s spilled into moon signs and other signs as well,” Tavish says, adding that he has never been into astrology.

“I come from a fairly conservative Indian family, and my mother has ruled out this Taurus-moon placement for my prospective partner because she feels that my last two girlfriends, who both had Taurus moons—something my mother found out from them—did not stick with me because of this placement,” he says. Even though his mother hasn’t consulted an astrologer for him, he believes her disdain towards this particular zodiac sign stems from unpleasant experiences with Taurus individuals in the past.

“One of her former best friends had a Taurus moon or sun or something, and so did her elder sister, and with them both she has had a difficult relationship. So now, she is imposing that principle on me. I am quite fed up and it’s impossible to reason with her,” states Tavish, pointing to the subjective and arbitrary nature of this phenomenon that often plagues several aspects of our socio-cultural relationships and interactions. Experiences, while influencing most human decisions, also vary vastly among individuals, thereby discouraging a one-size-fits-all approach. Discriminations and prejudices of any kind, however, weaponise these very experiences, and conflate them into universal truths.

In 2009, an Austrian insurance company released an advertisement stating their preference for “Capricorn, Taurus, Aquarius, Aries and Leo” applicants; according to a 2017 survey conducted in China, nearly 4.3 per cent of college graduates in search of jobs had experienced discrimination based on their Western or Chinese zodiac sign, as stated by this New York Times report. In yet another instance from China, in 2011, a firm had stated their explicit stance against hiring Scorpios and Virgos in a job advertisement—on account of these signs allegedly being too moody and critical—while Capricorns, Pisces and Libras were welcome. 

Tavish is not surprised on learning this. “I am sure this happens. My manager, a man in his sixties, once said that I tend to make silly errors in my coding because I am a Libra. Apparently, “my type” of people are space cadets, and don’t know how to pay attention,” he sighs.

Can zodiac shaming lead to a lack of accountability?

An article titled “Most Dangerous Zodiac Signs According to FBI (Complete Guide)” was published on 30 June 2021—and subsequently removed—by UK-based website PsychReel, which claims to “create research backed content about personality types, astrological signs and psychology.” The article went on to claim that the FBI had zodiac profiled criminals based on the nature of their crimes to better understand how individuals born under certain signs were more likely to commit specific crimes, when compared to others. It said: “Individuals convicted for crimes are most likely to have been born under the zodiac sign of Cancer,” while Sagittarius, Scorpios and Aries follow closely after, it stated.

Besides the fact that this “report” was proved to be making false claims, as it failed to link back to any FBI study relating criminal behaviour with astrology, the intent and impact of a disquisition of this nature are also manifold. It not only plays into zodiac shaming, but even makes room for excusing contentious behaviour by ascribing it to someone’s zodiac sign.

For 26-year-old Kolkata-based journalist Neelanjana Mondal, being a believer of astrology isn’t a problem as long as one doesn’t use it to justify their misconduct. “I don’t shame people [who believe in astrology] but I have a problem with them making it a personality trait. I remember a guy telling me, “Google my birthday and you’ll know my personality.” How about no? And this, after he claimed he wasn’t even into astrology,” she says.

Mondal, a Taurus, has barely ever encountered an astrology page that did not reduce her sign to “bulls that only eat, sleep, and rage.” She has even come across a social media group dedicated to hating Capricorns. Similarly, Kochi-based astrology student Ishita Ray has come across one on Facebook titled “I’ve been personally victimised by a Pisces,” the purpose of which is fairly obvious from its title.

“You are not mysterious and dark because you are a Scorpio; you just can’t take accountability. Please go to therapy,” says Mondal. She shares a love-hate relationship with the discipline as it intrigues her, and yet, she is conscious about drawing the line within reasonable limits. “Sure, you are a certain way and behave like the herd you belong to. But if I, as a Taurus, go use my ‘horns’ on people and butt heads with everyone, can I keep saying, ‘Oh! But I am a Taurus,’ as an excuse? Of course not.”

The reasons behind zodiac shaming

On account of being considered a pseudoscience, the ambiguities riddling any school of astrology allows room for conjecture and stereotypes to thrive, especially in an age when “bite-sized content” on social media has propelled smaller attention spans, and consequently, a lack of eye for detail. “The premise of this shaming comes from a very limited knowledge from coffee-table book astrology, mostly. So, the people enfranchising this shame do not have a premise to begin with; they are doing this because of peer group discussions or Insta culture where micro content keeps you from delving into the depths of a subject,” says Ray. Therefore, while the “shame” might be real, the reasons behind them aren’t, as it is based on stereotypes, not empirical studies.

Ray is an Aries, according to the Western or tropical school of astrology, which she largely does not subscribe to anymore, as her interests have gradually shifted to the Vedic regimen that uses the sidereal zodiac system, in which positions of planets are computed based on where they are actually observed in the sky with respect to constellations. She refuses to endorse this “pop astrology” that births cliches, as it’s mostly based on Western astrology, which employs a horoscopic or fixed zodiac system. The “fixed” or inherently inflexible disposition of this approach makes it more susceptible to birthing hackneyed pigeonholes.

“Right now, no matter how hard I try to relate strictly to an Aries, the sidereal aspect of astrology creeps in and keeps me from accepting these pop culture stereotypes. But yes, I did believe in these things as a kid…like I could see myself being hot-headed and impulsive, which are very Aries traits,” she says, underscoring the fact that pretty much any zodiac sign could have those exact same qualities, so singling out one, or a few, is tantamount to dehumanisation.

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