Bros & The Cosmos
Is knowledge of the universe the antidote to toxic masculinity?
These men seem to think so.
Astrology might be considered for the girls, but thats not always the case.
Meet the star boys.
These men, despite gender stereotypes, have no problem turning to the universe for guidance or answers.
They encourage their social circle to dive into their birth charts.
Some spread their knowledge on TikTok or Substack.
Others are quiet believers, keeping tabs on Mercury retrograde and the upcoming moon cycles.
And whilewomenare particularly associated with the practice today, that wasnt always the case.
Slowly but surely, star boys are on the rise.
You grew up seeing horoscopes in magazines; now, your friends tag you in memes about your sign.
Men arent typically so immersed in it.
But some star boys had a light knowledge of it before they fully dove in.
Others fell into their astrology journey on a whim, as Tally-Foos did.
The tattoo artist encouraged him to ask his mom when he was born to verify his big three.
From there, he couldnt help but learn more.
Hes now been studying astrology for three years in addition to his day job.
As for Max Friedman, 29, his interest was sparked by a star-loving ex.
(Arrogant, jealous, stubborn.)
For @AstrologyBro, learning about his birth chart opened the floodgates of self-discovery.
I’d never gotten that [validation] from anything else.
Not from therapy or self-help books.
It just really resonated.
I felt like a lot of people see astrology coming from someone with gas station incense or purple hair.
And no knock on that, I love those people.
But thats contributed to certain people typecasting it as a whole, he says.
I’ve always been kind of like a polo and khaki-wearing person.
In college, I was president of my fraternity.
Star Boys vs. Cynics
Pingley has inadvertently converted some doubters.
[Some men go into astrology thinking] this can’t be true because it’s impossible to verify.
But we feel it and we experience it, and that’s enough.
We feel them, but we can’t see them or touch them.
I feel strongly that astrology is the key to self-understanding, he says.
A lot of toxic masculinity arises from an inability to deal with your own issues or really know thyself.
In his case, he says exploring his Scorpio moon helped him be a better partner.
Meanwhile, Tally-Foos isnt in the business of convincing non-believers.
Hed rather focus onmusing about the cosmos and writing horoscopes.
But, he warns, the stars cant provide answers for everything.
I don’t think anybody’s advocating that somebody use astrology and not read the news, he says.
I’m not saying, Hey, you should learn astrology because you’ll get laid.
But being able to talk to women about astrology is a huge plus.
