The Toxic Partner You Subconsciously Worship, Based On Your Zodiac Sign

ARIES: The emotionally unavailable lover.

Aries, you never go for the easy target. You’re a secret masochist who enjoys chasing what’s out of reach. It thrills you when someone pushes back a little bit. You tend to fall for someone who excites you and gives you just enough to keep you hanging on. They overwhelm you with grand romance and adventure, and then pull back in an instant. Initially, you were drawn to them because of the freedom and space they provided, but as time goes on, they don’t show any signs of wanting to let things progress. When you can’t conquer and win, your ego has a hard time with it, so you keep hope alive—if only to gain control over the situation. You keep romanticizing someone who is never going to emotionally commit to you the way you want them to. Chances are that they’ll never make it clear where you stand. 

TAURUS: The familiar manipulator. 

You desire a long-term partner, Taurus—someone to build a home and future with. You take your relationship responsibilities extremely seriously and view them as an investment. The problem is that you have a hard time choosing a partner who is right for you. You set your eyes on a person more for the challenge—or for the security—than for the suitability. Once you’ve made your mind up about committing to someone, you don’t know when to let go. You’re a creature of habit who detests change. You’re also someone loyal and loving with a soft heart, who places the needs of others over their own. It’s that gentle nature of yours that draws manipulative people into your heart. You fall for their words, and they give you enough crumbs along the way to keep you hoping that they’ll keep their promises. They disappoint you time and time again, but you refuse to give up in the name of the history you share. 

GEMINI: The one who always keeps you guessing. 

You enjoy the thrill of someone who is hard to crack. Usually, you’re the one who has other people hanging on to your every word, but there’s something about an alluring person who keeps you guessing. You fell for them quickly, diving into the excitement and adventure without considering whether they were suitable for the long haul. Initially, you were turned on by their devilish nature, unpredictability, and the variety they provided you. This is a partner who never fails to stimulate you, but are you connecting with them, Gemini? They don’t provide you with the consistent and open communication needed for a healthy relationship. What used to leave you feeling excited is now making you feel anxious. You need someone straightforward who matches your communication style. This “mysterious” partner you keep romanticizing is actually someone inconsistent who will never make you feel grounded. You need someone who will balance you out. 

CANCER: The selfish partner. 

Once you fall in love, that person becomes your top priority. There’s nothing you wouldn’t do to keep the relationship afloat—and no low you wouldn’t sink to. This person recognizes your incredibly generous nature and your willingness to sacrifice. They exploit your need to feel worthy and loved and use it to their own advantage. You romanticize the type of partner who happily takes what you have to offer without giving you anything in return. It’s a toxic balance of power. You constantly make unhealthy compromises in order to make it work, hoping that things will go back to the way they were in the beginning. There was a time they were gentle and loving, but now it’s only you that provides all the love and comfort in the relationship. This person fails to reciprocate your emotional efforts. You keep lying to yourself, telling yourself that you’re safe with them, but all you feel is hunger. You’re starved for affection. 

LEO: The insecure lover. 

They won you over with grand romance and flattery at the beginning. You fell prey to their love bombing, believing them to be someone safe you could form an emotional connection with. They made you feel like you were the only person in this world for them. All those things they claimed to love about you are now the things you fight about. You effortlessly capture the attention of everyone inside any room you walk into. You’re self-confident, funny, talented, and gorgeous. Your sign has the brightest aura of the zodiac. Your partner now refuses to share you with the spotlight. They get jealous instead of feeling proud and lash out by putting you down. They try to extinguish your fire because they’re afraid to lose you, but someone who loves you would never try to make you forget that you are the sun. You stay devoted to this person because they know just the things to say to pull you back in, but they’re never going to have your best interests at heart. They view you as a possession, not as their partner. 

VIRGO: The “fixer-upper.”

You’re willing to bear all the responsibility in your relationship because you genuinely don’t understand why you shouldn’t. Virgo, you’ve got an instinctive nurturing side. Often, you take up a parental role in the life of the person you’re in a relationship with. You take care of their basic needs and manage them. There is no project or problem you’ve never enjoyed solving, but it’s not your job to organize your partner’s life. Not only do you make everything easier for them, but you do all the emotional—and possibly, financial—heavy lifting in the relationship. This is because you love through acts of service, but who loves and provides for you, Virgo? You keep romanticizing your partner’s potential, denying the fact that they leave you feeling drained and unsupported. They don’t carry any of their weight in the partnership. You suffer in silence because you’re afraid of what a real love match might mean—exposure and vulnerability. The only person you should be protecting yourself from is the one currently taking advantage of your generosity. 

LIBRA: The emotional vampire.

You so desperately want to be part of a “we” that you’re willing to sacrifice parts of yourself to be someone’s better half. You fully give up control in order to keep the peace, allowing them to make all the decisions without taking you and your desires into consideration. They take advantage of your incredibly romantic and sweet nature, saying all the right words, but never following through with action. You swallow your own needs, staying silent to keep them happy. Constantly, they fail to provide you with the emotional security you need. In the rare instance that you try to stick up for yourself, they find a way to blame you instead of taking any accountability for their mistakes. You rationalize away their mistreatment of you and continue to over idealize what exists between you in the hopes that the romance will turn into what you’ve always wanted. This person will never stop preying on your insecurities. If you’re not careful—if you stay—they will make you forget who you are at your very core. 

SCORPIO: The controlling and possessive partner. 

Scorpio, you’re the most intense sign of the zodiac. Every emotion that you feel you experience at a depth unknown to others. The extremities of life call to you. You have an affinity for darkness and danger. Unfortunately, this means that you tend to become obsessed with lovers who aren’t good for you. You get addicted to the high and the sting they provide. It’s a relationship full of complexities and extremes. You mistake intensity for the consuming love you’ve always dreamed of. It’s heated passion obstructing your better judgment and making you convince yourself that this toxicity is love. Your partner is controlling and possessive. Their jealousy made you feel wanted in the beginning—it even turned you on a little. Lately, it’s getting more smothering, but you keep romanticizing it anyway. Their love for you isn’t all-consuming, it’s just selfish. Love can be gentle and deep. Passion and softness can coexist. Your partner doesn’t want to love you forever, they just want to steal your power. 

SAGITTARIUS: The inconsistent lover.  

Sagittarius, you end up romanticizing someone who mirrors your uncertainty about committing. They piqued your interest in the beginning because of the excitement and adventure they provided. This person respected your need for freedom, space, and independence. Things progressed and your heart opened up, but they remained in the same place. They recognize your tendency to take people at face value and exploit your trust. The type of toxic partner you attract is one who constantly provides you with inconsistency. They fail to call when they say they will, break their promises, and compulsively lie to you. You stay because every time you’re ready to walk away, they pull you in by making you feel like you can conquer new worlds together. You’re addicted to the intensity of it all. They show you their worst colors—unreliability, dishonesty, cruelty, and arrogance—and you cling on to their few bright ones.

CAPRICORN: The “textbook perfect” partner. 

You’re a traditionalist, Capricorn. You want your life to follow a conventional path and have already mapped out where it will go in the next few decades. Your gut instinct tells you to follow the safest route. For this reason, you tend to pick a partner who checks off all your boxes. They look good on paper, but they fail to fulfill all of your emotional needs. The partner you romanticize is the “textbook perfect” partner—someone you can show off and be proud of. This isn’t a person who challenges you, and it’s certainly not one who makes you their priority. Just as you always imagined, your lover is determined and ambitious, but they care more about their pursuits than they do about you. They often make you feel like an afterthought. Yes, they have their life in order, but you constantly feel like an outsider in it. 

AQUARIUS: The bully.

You’re warmhearted and open and have the unique ability to connect with every person you meet. People are drawn to you because you expose them to new ways of thinking. Aquarius, you make every person who comes to know you feel free and proud to be themselves around you. Sometimes this means that you open your heart up to the wrong people. The type of toxic partner you romanticize is the one who preys on your good nature. They tear you down without remorse because it makes them feel good about themselves. This person sees your spirit and charm and wants to possess what you have. For them, your unique personality is a challenge. They want to use your energy for their own gain. They fail to respect your values, beliefs, and individuality—and they even mock you for them. You may be the sign of friendship, but you don’t easily let your guard down. Because being vulnerable doesn’t come easily to you, you refuse to give up on this person. You tell yourself that your relationship just isn’t conventional, but the reality is that it’s an unhealthy one. 

PISCES: The narcissist. 

There’s nothing you desire more than a deep spiritual connection. Neptune, your dreamy ruler, is to be blamed for your grand fairytale ideas of love. You can get swept off in the fantasy, discarding the realities of your relationship. You’re someone who cannot help but see the best in people and believe in their good intentions. This makes you an easy target for narcissists who seek to take advantage of you. They sense your unique ability of reminding other people of their beauty and exploit your kindness. Your type of toxic partner is the one who craves the affirmation only you can give. They value what you can do to boost their ego more than they value you as a person. They’re in love with how you make them feel. At the beginning, they lured you in by intoxicating you with love bombing and grand displays of affection. Now that the rose-colored glasses are permanently stuck to your face, they don’t show that sweet side often. It’s a side they reserve for when they want to reel you back in. They keep feeding off your emotional depth. You constantly give them chances because you romanticize who they were at the start.