Photo: pexels
It's better to know now than find out later.
By Emily Ratay — Written on Mar 09, 2018
Being used by a guy you're really into sucks — we can all agree on that, right?
Some men are users and some are not, and sometimes this has to do with who they are, and who they are can be read by their zodiac sign.
And chances are, we've probably all dealt with this situation at least once in our lives.
Maybe your situation wasn't romantic, but you still might have been used in some other way.
And when you really like someone, it can be easy to agree with whatever he wants or be extra generous all because you're really into him.
Maybe he only ever hit you up when he was hungry. He might have said he was going to pay, but he did just drive both of you to this restaurant and he wants to make sure he has enough gas for later.
Hmmm...
Or maybe he wants to come over and chill (in a romantic way or not), but says he only has an hour or two before he has to go meet up with his friends... And he says that every single time you hang out.
At this point, don't you consider yourself friends?! Clearly, he doesn't.
And unfortunately, these two situations aren't the only ways he could be using you. You could be friends with completely compatible personalities and share similar interests, like astrology and hobbies.
Just because he's not taking advantage of having you around just for casual intimacy doesn't mean there aren't other ways in which he's using you.
And to find that out — especially when someone like your best friend has to break the news to you — can be heartbreaking.
I'm sure a lot of us can say that we know from experience how much that feeling of being used can hurt.
Because there's a good chance that he does see something in you when you two first meet or start hanging out, but for whatever reason — maybe he's holding out for someone he thinks is better or maybe he does the same thing to everyone he knows — he would rather use you for convenient hook-ups or compliments when he's feeling down on himself (yes, that does happen, too).
Once, when I was younger, I was really into this guy who was my friend before I started having any feelings for him.
And we would text all the time about nothing and everything, and I started to develop feelings for him, which he said he did, too.
Then out of the blue, I checked his Facebook page and it said that he had finally made his relationship with some other girl official — apparently some girl he was chatting up just like he was me.
I obviously felt hurt and embarrassed because I felt like I was being led on; and truthfully, I was probably just around for him to flirt with until he could figure out what he wanted with this other girl.
But besides feeling hurt for probably longer than was necessary (hey, I thought we were clicking), I reminded myself that there are always going to be guys like that out there, but there are also going to be ones that really do feel something for you and aren't going to use you just because they feel like they can.
And you definitely don't have to tell yourself "lesson learned" and never put yourself out there again, either.
But until you do find that man who is into you and isn't afraid to show it, here is how to know if he's using you, according to his horoscope.
ARIES (March 21 - April 19)
When Aries "uses" you, he's not always doing it because he wants to use you. Sometimes, he just wants to make himself look better in other people's eyes and you just happen to be the closest prop he can use to get to that superstar status. When Aries does use you though, more often than not, it's for competition.
Whether he's challenging you to something dumb like an eating competition or first one to race to the top of the stairs wins, or he gets his friends involved too, what he's really after is a way to make himself look like the hero. Aries wants to show you that he's the alpha male and always wins, which to you, is supposed to make him more attractive and impressive... I think.
TAURUS (April 20 - May 20)
Taurus will definitely NEVER be the first to admit this about himself, but he's the kind of guy to use you when he's short on cash. Yes, you heard that right – Taurus will be your friend for the day if it means he gets a free lunch out of the deal. Shallow, I know (and he knows it, too), but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.
Simply put, Taurus is cheap. If he's going to spend his money, he's going to spend it on something that's going to last or something that has value. If it's something like a sandwich or an overpriced drink at the bar, he's most definitely going to get you to treat him. And how can you say no to those beautiful eyes of his?! It's definitely a struggle.
GEMINI (May 21 - June 20)
Gemini is one of those guys that has a really hard time being alone with his thoughts. Whenever he has any kind of downtime or it's just way too quiet for his liking, he will get on social media or text his friends to see if anyone is free. So, when he hits you up (seemingly) for no reason and wants to chill with you, there's a good chance he's just using you.
Gemini needs constant company to be happy. He hates being lonely and even if it means accompanying you to get your nails done or grocery shop with you, he'd rather trail you around like a little puppy than be alone for a few hours. And as to why he's asking you to hang out during these super weird times, it's really just out of convenience... Sorry.
CANCER (June 21 - July 22)
When Cancer is having a good day, he's all about himself – everything he does and says is like pure gold to him. But when he's having a bad day, he can get hypersensitive and insecure, which he almost never can deal with on his own. He tends to let his thoughts get the better of him and dictate how he should feel, even though he had a great outlook about himself just the other day.
When Cancer gets this insecure, he'll often use his friends for attention, including you. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't realize he's asking you to compliment him and make him feel good about himself because he's usually too caught up in his head at the time. If you're into him, this might not seem so bad to do, but after the fifth or sixth time, it's gets old — trust me.
LEO (July 23 - August 22)
Leo loves to feel good about himself (don't' we all?), but he tends to take it too far without realizing it... or maybe he does realize what he's doing. My point is, whether Leo's having a bad day or a good day, he wants the whole world to acknowledge it. You can tell Leo is using you for his ego because he'll constantly set you up to compliment him and make him feel good.
It's not so much that he feels negatively about himself or anything; he just wants to be the best. He has a constant radar on how people perceive him and won't hesitate to go out of his way to boost his own ego if it means getting extra brownie points (even from complete strangers). That means treating you to coffee, so everyone sees how nice he is, to using you for affection when he's lonely.
VIRGO (August 23 - September 22)
Virgo could go his whole life making others feel loved and valued because when he cares about you, he goes all out for you. That said, he isn't above using you for a little affection of his own. I mean, we all need to feel loved, but Virgo sometimes feel entitled to using you for it because he thinks he makes the most effort to be a good friend and deserves all the attention for it.
When Virgo uses you, he's using you for false love. He doesn't actually care what you want out of the "relationship" and will probably pretend he's more into you than he is, but as long as he's feeling wanted and validated for a short amount of time, he's happy. He really just wants to feel good and will start something with you just to get what he wants. When he's done, you're gone.
LIBRA (September 23 - October 22)
If Libra could have one thing in the whole world, he would probably choose to have as many friends as he possibly can. He loves the limelight of popularity and won't hesitate to make you feel like more of a friend than you actually are to him just to make it seem like he's more popular and friendly than he actually is.
Libra doesn't really see the harm in using people to look more popular because when he does it, he feels like it's a victimless crime. I mean, it certainly isn't victimless, but in his opinion, if anyone decides that they ask him about it and he might deny it all, so be careful with this zodiac sign.
SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21)
Scorpio has a very small group of friends which you're a part of — so when he's having a bad day or needs to vent, he expects you to always be there to listen to him. That said, if you're not reacting the way he wants, he won't hesitate to tell you how he wants you to feel. When Scorpio has bad days, he can become very manipulative of the people around him.
When Scorpio uses you, he's using you as his own personal punching bag. It might seem like he's just venting to you at first, but really, he's taking his bad day out on you.
This might be through bullying and trying to bring you down or by completely ignoring you until you ask for forgiveness but be careful with Scorpio because he's VERY good at what he does.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 - December 21)
Sagittarius is all about getting what he wants, when he wants. He's a firm believer in keeping things quick and casual because it just fits best with his lifestyle – fast and loose. Keeping things quick and casual is great if he's looking for a fast food place to get lunch, but beyond that, it just gets messy.
You can tell Sagittarius is using you when he texts you asking if you want to hang out, but then adds that he really only has about an hour to spare before he has to get to his next thing on time.
You might not realize he's using you at first — since he can be very flirty and make it seem like he's just carving out as much time as he can just for you — but he's just using you because it's convenient and easy for him to get a little somethin' somethin'.
CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 19)
If Capricorn could wish for one thing and have it come true, he would want everything in his life taken care of with the wave of a magic wand (or a snap of his fingers). He likes being busy and loves the satisfaction of having his needs taken care of, but sometimes, he has to take advantage of people and situations because it's convenient instead of waiting for something better.
The only good thing about Capricorn using you is that he isn't going to lie to you about his true intentions. Capricorn will use you for sex, it's true, but he'll also make sure you know that that's all there is to it. Capricorn wants it all and will use you for intimacy because he knows that he can get away with it. Harsh, but true.
AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18)
Aquarius tries to be a good friend to his friends – and a good partner in his relationships – but he has needs just like everyone and can't always stop himself from using people when he's feeling desperate.
When he does use you, he tries to make it seem as nonchalant as possible because he doesn't want to seem like a jerk about it... even though he's still very much using you. Aquarius will use you for favors and kindness.
He can be kind of selfish at times and while he tries to look humble whenever you pay for him or give him something for free, he can't deny that he likes free things. And even though he says he hates owing you for covering for him, he often says "I owe you one" without ever intending on paying you back.
PISCES (February 19 - March 20)
Pisces likes having a healthy balance between alone time and time socializing with friends, but no matter what he's doing with whom, he absolutely hates being bored. So, when he hits you up asking you if you're free to hang out, make sure you know whether he actually cares about spending time with you or if he's just using you so he isn't suffering from boredom.
Pisces is all about getting the most out of whatever he does. Even if his agenda consists of getting caught up on his Netflix shows while staying in bed all day, he still feels like he's accomplishing something.
If he feels like he isn't being productive, he'll use you for some fun and excitement all while making you feel like he's really enjoying your company. Sorry, honey, but he'd rather just be with someone, anyone instead of being bored.
Emily Ratay is a full-time writer living in Pittsburgh. She's passionate about the environment and feminism, and knows that anything is possible in the right pair of shoes. She plans on writing a non-fiction book in the future.