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Can you stop talking about yourself for once?
By Megan Hatch — Written on Oct 09, 2020
Born between the dates of July 23 to August 22, a Leo is associated with Summer. Like the sun, which is the center of everyone's astrology, Leo is very outgoing and passionate. Even though Leos are compassionate for others, they can come across as egotistical and self-centered.
Why are Leos selfish?
Leo is ruled by the sun. Leos love being the center of attention, and just like the earth revolves around the sun, the sun also revolves around Leo. Some would call Leos a giant teddy bear because when they love you they are so caring. However, Leos have a dark side. One of their bad personality traits involves extremes.
Leos love self-care. Taken too far self-care can become self-focused. Leos do work on not being self-absorbed (when this happens), but on a bad day, year, month, decade, Leos can be selfish, especially when their heart has been broken. Leos have egos as big as the sun, so when wounded, the lion of astrology needs lots of me-time to heal, and that leaves little room to love others.
Here’s why some people dislike Leos, and of course, how selfishness plays into the problem, per astrology:
1. Leos love to be the center of attention.
Leos are ruled by the sun, so they exhibit similar traits. The sun represents who you are and what the world perceives you to be. It's hard to ignore sunlight when it's shining, and Leos were born to shine, too.
Leos come across as selfish because they love attention and don't mind talking about themselves.
They are direct, honest, and understanding and like to explore the depths of themselves, and this is how they learn. Although a person may see this as a negative quality or bad trait, it's actually what Leo is supposed to be. Their directness and boldness make them stand out like the sun that rules them. You see their talents and ability to be the center of attention. Selfish? Maybe. But it's what they are here to do.
2. Leos are stubborn.
Leo is a fixed zodiac sign, and fixed fire means passion is part of this package deal. They are also part of the serpentine tribe (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius).
Leo’s stubbornness can make them appear selfish because they don’t like to change their mind and get upset if you try to be sneaky about it. Like other fixed zodiac signs, don't try to tell them what to do. It can cause a backlash, hence why their energy is fixed and fiery.
Leos are direct, honest, and understanding and like to explore the depths of themselves, maybe exploring too deep. And if they feel bossed around, you'll catch their stubborn side which often comes across as brutally self-focused.
3. Leos are protective.
Leos definitely get defensive when being called out by someone who doesn’t like them or thinks they are acting like a narcissist. (I mean it’s not your fault that you don’t want to listen to them right?) A conversation that initially was 20 minutes could turn into an hour about their new interest in acting or comedy.
But calling a Leo out is like telling the sun not to shine. It's better to bow out of the conversation gracefully. Even if Leo is acting selfishly, chances are they are trying to help you in some way. Leos are protective, so if they are opening up to you, that means they have decided to let you in their inner circle, which isn't so selfish after all.
4. Leos are ambitious.
Leos can appear to be blinded by their own wants, and this comes across as selfish, perhaps even using.
Leos may seem like they don’t care when they need your help, but it's not that they are using you, they just want what they want.
Leo sometimes comes off as aggressive and rude. Behind all the talking and attention-seeking, they really do care about you and what you want, too. Sometimes they just need a reminder that you're a person, too.
5. Leos are prideful.
Leos can be arrogant. Leo is the king of astrology. Leos tend to have big personalities often sometimes being a little bit dramatic, (just like Regina George, you like to talk about yourself and value what others think of you, as long as that’s all good things). It’s not too hard to push their buttons, and even if they don't say so, it hurts their feelings. They’ll know when you don’t like them, and they won’t stop taking offense which can lead to an aggressive reaction.
6. Leos *want* the limelight.
Leos love attention. As much as Leos have a natural ability to stand out from the crowd, they also want to keep it that way like the sun when its around. Leos love to have all eyes on them. They adore being the center of attention. Not a lot of people like that about Leos and tend to fray from wanting to give them that attention because they know that’s what they want.
7. Leos are territorial.
The truth is that Leos can also become aggressive when jealous of someone, most likely others getting attention over them.
Leo is a lion archetype, so of course, they can be aggressive. In their attempt to get your attention, sometimes Leos can be too aggressive and scare off people.
They think everyone will appreciate their bright, loud, and happy personality, however, their approach sometimes makes quieter zodiac signs feel angry and ignored.
8. Leos don't like change.
Leos are stubborn. Leo’s stubbornness can make them (appear) selfish because they don’t like to change their mind, but think of it as self-protecting. If you loved things the way they are, would you want to change? No. Likely, not. Well, neither does Leo.
Megan Hatch is a writer who covers love and relationships, news and astrology.