Let’s talk about nonnegotiables, expectations, sliding scales and the wide gamut of standards.
Throughout the zodiac wheel, all among us are capable of raising, or lowering the bar of what is and what is not acceptable albeit for different reasons.
But who has the highest — and the lowest — standards?
Virgo is the obvious choice for pointed perfectionism and high standards but these folks low-key love to be disappointed as it makes their twin skills of intervention and improvement, indispensable. Nothing satisfies a Libra but their standards, like their relationship status are always negotiable. Gemini is too inconsistent to hold a line or maintain a standard and Cancer will allow for anything if it means you’ll be the big spoon.
Taurus is an unrepentant bougie b—h but so long as the sheets are clean, their bellies are full and their lovers are loyal, they can be convinced to let most other things slide. Sag will take what they can get while always hoping for more, Scorpio uses high standards and spyware as self-imposed barriers to emotional intimacy, and Aquarius was born disappointed in humanity and thus doesn’t venture to expect much of any of us.
Whether you swing high or low read on to learn more about the extreme standards of the zodiac signs.
Leo is the sign of royalty; these apex predators insist on being recognized and regaled as the benevolent gods they believe themselves to be.
Leo rules the fifth house of pleasure, play, and creation; in kind, lions have high standards for art and relationship dynamics. There is no fear of being extra or asking for more nor is there any gesture too grand nor vision too bold with this ilk.
At best, they give what they get.
The beauty of the leonine high standard is that it emboldens others to imagine that they too deserve to be treated like deified gold. Examples of Leo’s exalted expectations can be found in Stanley “I will take months to shoot this orgy scene to my satisfaction” Kubrick.
Symbolized by the eye on the sky, hooves on the ground sea goat, Capricorn was born to make it to the top of the mountain, and they believe the only way to reach the pinnacle is through a punishing work ethic. Trust, inside each and every one of them lives a stern father figure endlessly employing a no excuses, no failure, “this is Sparta” energy.
Inside each and every Capricorn is a stern father figure endlessly employing a no excuses, no failure, ‘this is Sparta’ energy.
As such, Caps have a vigorous standard for themselves which they willfully extend to and measure everyone else by. For this ilk, anything worth doing is worth conquering and nothing and no one is ever enough. Examples of hardscrabble, high-standard-holding sea goats include Dolly “I hope I die working” Parton, Jordan “my signature fragrance is Ambition” Sparks, Mary J. “I only squat on new toilet seats” Blige, and LeBron “The Chosen One” James.
High standards require a certain degree of strategy and structure, two elements fire breathing, hell on wheels Aries does not exactly prioritize. The blazing beauty of the zodiac’s first sign is that rams are unafraid to try, fail, forget, or forgive making their standards more flexible than finite.
Aries’s only expectation is “excite me” and as anyone in therapy can attest, disappointment can be invigorating, and playing fast and loose with love criteria often leads to intrigue and upset; better burning than boring, folks.
Examples of rams with questionable standards include Kourtney Kardashian in the entirety of her relationship with Scott Disick.
Bless their water-born bones, Pisces people with their apologist tendencies and determination to love people even when they are rabid, unredeemable, emotionally bankrupt, or otherwise undesirable makes them the zodiac sign with the lowest standards.
The Piscean signature mix of sentiment and starry-eyed romanticism ensures this lot will always accept the bottom of the barrel with fanfare. Case in point; a Pisces near and dear to me kept a piece of yarn (pulled from a flop house rug) tied around her wrist for an entire year because that makeshift/ make s–t bracelet was the only gift her ex-boyfriend ever gave her.
Bless.
Charmed by small offerings, Pisces people can make meaning out of anything and earnestly believe everyone deserves a participation trophy because we’re all doing the best that we can; a mentality that makes them sympathetic listeners and perenially easy marks.
Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture and personal experience. She is also an accomplished writer who has profiled a variety of artists and performers, as well as extensively chronicled her experiences while traveling. Among the many intriguing topics she has tackled are cemetery etiquette, her love for dive bars, Cuban Airbnbs, a “girls guide” to strip clubs and the “weirdest” foods available abroad.