Each Zodiac Sign's Academia Aesthetic

If there's one thing amazing about the internet age, it's the incredible wealth of jokes, memes, and communities enabled and created by it. And one such gem in the niche of internet subculture is the academia aesthetic.

Inspired by the elite academia lifestyle and culture, the academia subculture is all about embracing intellectual pursuits, dressing in elegant styles that reference ages past or future, and subverting societal expectations in either understated and refined ways or with more chaos and magic. There are many facets to it, with dark academia, romantic academia, vintage academia, and many more subsets existing within its scope.

Each zodiac sign has its own academia aesthetic.

Each zodiac sign has its own unique aura and traits that make it different from the rest, and these traits can be associated with a different academia aesthetic.

Aries: chaotic academia

Photo: Robert Bye via Unsplash / itim2101 via Canva

The heart of pioneering and adventurous Aries is perfectly suited for the chaotic academia aesthetic. It's based on the idea of normalizing chaos and the haphazard impulses of the moment, which is as 'Aries' as it can get.

This aesthetic is for those who get intensely invested in a topic or subject but can only sustain that passion for a few weeks before moving on to something else. It's also about being comfortable with slang and colloquialisms over the pedantic usage of words and phrases.

Taurus: classical academia

Photo: Tamara Malaniy via Unsplash / itim2101 via Canva

From Mozart and Paganini to political intrigue and oil paintings, the perfect academia aesthetic for Taurus is classical academia. This aesthetic revels in times long gone by, in architecture that's rooted in pride and history, in clothing that separates the fashionable from the gauche, and in sensibilities of the Renaissance.

Tortoiseshell glasses, tweed, cursive writing and cafes and libraries are a strong fixture here. So is classical music and instruments, like the violin and pianoforte.

Gemini: fairy academia

Photo: Ella Jardim via Unsplash / itim2101 via Canva

Whether you spell it “fairy” or “faerie” or “fae,” the perfect academia aesthetic for chatterbug Gemini is fairy academia. This one can easily switch from light themes like dressing in tulle and pastels, eating cupcakes, and reading fairytales to dark themes of treachery, riddles, and political intrigue. Tea parties are commonplace here and happy endings are mostly desired unless it's a star-crossed love affair of the ages.

Cancer: pastel academia

Photo: Hayley Maxwell via Unsplash / itim2101 via Canva

The academia aesthetic that's best suited to emotional and nurturing Cancer is pastel academia. With strong overlaps with romantic, art, cottage, and fairy academia, this subculture celebrates joy, happy endings, and pretty pastels. Intriguing stationery and art keycaps are common here, and so are enjoying vacations walking past beautiful (and colorful) houses and along promenades.

Leo: romantic academia

Photo: Annie Spratt via Unsplash / itim2101 via Canva

Creativity and romance are the lifeblood of a Leo. That's why the perfect academia aesthetic for them is romantic academia. The colors, outfits, and sensibility can vary from star-like to moody, historical to fantasy, piratecore to pastel. Roses and pressed flowers, hardbound books and luxurious paper, flowing fountain pens and love letters are common here. And so are corsets, brogues (or glossy Oxfords), and scarves. Nothing but happy ever afters will do here, just make the journey intriguing and fraught with emotional highs and lows with subsequent resolution and a kiss.

Virgo: green academia

Photo: Prudence Earl via Unsplash / itim2101 via Canva

The perfect academia aesthetic for practical and detail-oriented Virgo is green academia. This is an amalgamation of science academia, herbology, and nature witchery/wizardry. There's a strong fascination with nature here and observing the small wonders of the world, whether they are butterfly wings, poisonous plants and flowers, or textbooks with schematics and diagrams. It tends to lean towards the vintage and expounds a love for walks through green pastures and parks.

Libra: light academia

Photo: Jas Min via Unsplash / itim2101 via Canva

The only academia esthetic that fits beautiful and social-favorite Libra is light academia. As one of the more prominent aesthetics in the academia subculture, light academia focuses on positivity, light, and romantic sensibilities. The focus is very Greco-Roman with a fondness for marble, elaborate architecture and sculptures, canonical guides to the various mysteries of the world, and classical music.

Scorpio: dark academia

Photo: Giammarco Boscaro via Unsplash / itim2101 via Canva

Nothing screams Scorpio more than dark academia. The mood is gothic here, the focus is on subjects that evoke a sense of mystery or create a love for the taboo or deranged, and the romance is almost always a tragedy or a star-crossed affair. Horror is a predominant theme here too, but in a more refined and Victorian way. And the music is unsettling and gothic.

Sagittarius: wizard/witch academia

Photo: Allison Batley via Unsplash / itim2101 via Canva

The perfect academia aesthetic for adventurous and philosophical Sagittarius is witch/wizard academia. It can range from Harry Potter-esque mood boards and outfits to the more arcane and intriguing. There is an overlap with science academia here too with the desire to live in a world of urban fantasy where magic is not taboo but a matter of everyday life. Politics is also a part of this aesthetic and so is world-building. The opportunities for exploration are endless in this aesthetic.

Capricorn: winter academia

Photo: Hans Isaacson via Unsplash / itim2101 via Canva

The academia aesthetic that fits Capricorn like a glove is winter academia. Whether it evokes the image of snow-capped mountains and silent leafless forestscapes or a cozy home with a fireplace burning and luxurious outfits of wool and tweed, this is an introvert's favorite aesthetic. Not in a shy way, but rather quite philosophical and self-reliant — much like Capricorn.

Aquarius: science academia

Photo: Angela Bailey via Unsplash / itim2101 via Canva

The perfect academia aesthetic for future-focused Aquarius is science academia. This one is heavily influenced by science fiction and fantasy with elements of steampunk and etherealism thrown in. Glass, light, equations, and textbooks are common here and the sensibility is clean and precise. It can go back in time to Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man or to the far reaches of outer spaces with musical playlists reminiscent of exploding stars and black holes.

Pisces: art academia

Photo: Laura Adai via Unsplash / itim2101 via Canva

The perfect academia aesthetic for dreamy Pisces is art academia. From vibrant masterpieces and studies in color theory or monochromatism to intricate cosplays and mechanical journals, you are only limited by the limits of your imagination in this subculture. Visual arts is the favored medium here for many, but ambient ASMRs, art supplies and journals, and a fascination with buttons won't be misplaced either.

Valeria Black is a Tarot Card Reader, astrologer and YouTuber with expertise in charm-casting, runes, and all things magic. She writes about astrology, tarot and spirituality.