Commonly confused with astronomy, astrology is defined by Oxford Languages as “the study of the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies interpreted as having an influence on human affairs and the natural world”. 

Astrology is well debated and while it is no longer regarded as a credible science many people still are interested in it. Only recently has astrology made a resurgence. It is popular amongst younger generations, especially on Tik Tok.

This has caused a deeper look into what astrology actually is beyond the 12 zodiac signs. There are many other aspects including different houses, planets, risings, and moons. There is now a greater emphasis on looking at a full birth chart. Although astrology has increased in popularity and complexity, it’s mostly something to browse casually. 

Currently, the scientific community claims that astrology holds no intellectual value and criticizes its inaccuracy as well as its inconsistency. I fully agree, there are large quantities of people who do not identify with their signs in the slightest. The vague personality traits in tandem with each sign are highly generalized. For instance, some sources say that all Taurus (people born from April 20-May 20) are stubborn and lazy. This just isn’t logical because there are people bound to contest these absolute statements.

However, astrology isn’t something to take that seriously. Most people, even if they like astrology,  understand that it doesn’t hold any scientific value. It’s interesting because it’s centered around oneself and there is an appeal to the idea of something so personalized. Furthermore, there are qualities in star signs that do resonate with people like bravery and integrity. It’s completely okay to like astrology, it may not always be correct, but it is fun. 

The problem with astrology is not that it’s outdated or inaccurate because that’s already common knowledge. The actual problem is that people take it too seriously. People can be judgemental and even malicious regarding a topic that’s meant to be entertaining. This brings us to the main issue surrounding the topic: Disguised Misogyny.

Astrology is too often used to put down women. It’s highly capitalized off of and exploited for profit. That means it appears in women’s magazine columns, blogs, and lines of fragrance. Women are the main target audience for all of these products. This is heavily manipulated to make women seem gullible because astrology is well known and widely discredited. It’s an open channel for sexism. Women who don’t believe in astrology are often praised for this by males and given positive feedback. This is called male validation and it contributes to internal misogyny.

In this way, astrology is similar to another type of pseudoscience called phrenology which flourished between the 18th and 19th centuries. Phrenology is a study that determines details about one’s psyche and persona by examining skull shape. Now, it is known that skull shape is not correlated with brain development and cannot determine one’s character, but at the time it was widely accepted.

People would hire professionals that would examine one’s head and tell them about their strengths, lacks, and other qualities. This service is similar to a palm reading. Many wealthy Europeans including Queen Victoria and Prince Albert paid for this service. It proves that these ideas can be harmful with negative influence and exploited for profit.

Of course, there are people that still argue astrology’s merits and there are people who genuinely practice it. After all, today’s technology has vastly enhanced our view of the planets and stars that surround Earth. There is also not a definitive way to prove it’s false because astrology is measured qualitatively by the individual who is naturally biased. Most people love astrology simply because it is centered around themselves and gives them a sense of identity.

The truth is that the people that take an interest in astrology very rarely see it as anything more than something entertaining. Today, it is not believed in or supported the way it was throughout history and the people who believe in it are not gullible or stupid. It’s an interesting concept that can be manipulated for negative purposes.

Misogyny is omnipresent in society and it finds ways to taint even the most seemingly “harmless” activities. The best way to combat this is to continue enjoying astrology and to not contribute to misogyny by putting down people that do like it. So in conclusion, astrology is harmful, but only because of the way it is used to make women seem irrational, unintelligent, and naive.