Get Your Impulsive Puppy Energy Ready—It’s Aries Season

In the beginning was Aries: the first sign in the zodiac and the first sign of spring. The filterless, fiery ram is in a rush to get somewhere; who cares if they don’t know where yet. With the youthful exuberance of a puppy and the fighting spirit of a wolf, this sign is born with an acute sense of FOMO.

Aries love to make nothing become something. Like the Big Bang, individuals born under the sign of the ram are self-starters: explosions generating their own little universes. Examples: Out of the sheer desire to see more well-rounded roles for women, Reese Witherspoon created her own production company. Lil Nas X pioneered queer country rap. Ilana Glazer pitched the first dog reality TV show, Rough Ruff. (The common theme here really seems to be “make your own magic.”)

True leaders

Aries is ruler of the head and the eyes; those born under the sign of the ram can be identified by their voracious appetite for life itself and, more importantly, flamboyant cranial adornment. Consider Lady Gaga’s avant-garde hair hats and full-face ornamentation (extended to her French Bulldog Miss Asia), Elton John’s signature sunglasses, or Lil Nas X’s feathered showgirl showboating (his 2023 New York Fashion Week headpiece isn’t the first time he has flexed a feather). 

Governed by the angry and sexy red planet, Mars, and named for the Roman god of war, Aries is the sign of independence. It runs on gut instinct, and it’s often right. Like Maya Angelou’s caged bird that sings of freedom or Mariah Carey’s Emancipation of Mimi, Aries are orientated toward liberation and self-actualization. The sign’s association with the warrior god instills them with a sense of heroism and a fighting spirit.

However, as Carey schooled us with her song “ Hero” and Gaga echoed in her stripped-back 2023 Oscars performance, authentic Aries energy transcends machismo: It’s about cultivating internal strength and the courage to believe in yourself. In Gaga’s words at the Oscars, “You might find that you can be your own hero, even if you feel broken inside.”

That being said, the Mother Monster was thrust into a very Aries high-stakes dognapping incident in early 2021, when her dog walker took a bullet trying to save her two French Bulldogs, Koji and Gustav. The two have subsequently been reunited with Gaga to enjoy the good life with her third dog, Miss Asia. (Arguably the most famous of the three, she appeared with Gaga on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar and has her own popular Instagram account). The legal drama finally concluded last fall.

Lil Nas X exemplifies the Aries assignment with his ability to reach across polarized subcultures to achieve rapid, mainstream success while being entirely himself. Last year, the proud Aries (his first tattoo was a chrome Aries symbol featured in the album art for Montero) adopted two kittens, Desani and Zephard, who joined his family alongside his Bernese Mountain Dogs, Six and Nine.  

Comfortable in the spotlight

No wonder The Supremes couldn’t contain Diana Ross: Aries is the solo act, the main character, and the starring role. While they have a reputation for being selfish, this perception is fueled by their ability to go after what they want, with the uncomplicated (albeit unrealistic) expectation that everyone else will do the same.

The roster of chanteuses born under this sign all arrive with their unique brand of hot-headed, high-diva drama with the distinctive hilarity of unfiltered Aries bluntness. Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin (aka The Queen of Shade), Gaga, Carey, John, and Chaka Khan, all walk the hallowed halls of “ I don’t know her” Aries sassification.

Rulers of the queer universe

A closer inspection of the Aries Diva Archetype reveals an adjacent, intermingling phenomenon: The Queer Icon. Cruising at the intersection of maximalist sartorial approaches, high-drama looks, shade-throwing, and the unapologetic joy of being yourself, Aries can be considered the official sign of the gays.

Carey, Dion, Khan, Ross (she’s “ coming out!”), Franklin, John, Gaga, Lil Nas X, and Kristen Stewart all reside in the Pride pantheon, as either members of the LGBTQ+ community or as queer icons (or both!). They also reside in the Dog Person pantheon: John and David Furnish’s Cocker Spaniel, Arthur, was the best man at their wedding, and Celine Dion, Gaga, and Carey are known for bringing their dogs on tour.

This is the month to channel the bold ram: be it the flying golden-fleeced ram Chrysomallos, who was placed amongst the stars as the constellation Aries for his heroism, or New Zealand’s celebrity fugitive Merino sheep, Shrek, who hid in caves to avoid being shorn for six years.

Sacred, profane, humble, and heroic, Aries season invites us to run toward what we want as though someone with a knife is chasing us, to wear couture on the subway, to just come out and say what we mean, to give the devil a lap dance in hell wearing knee-high stiletto boots. Why not? The world is ours!