Pluto Through the Decades

Sometime around 2013, I realized how it felt to look back on a generation. I had just graduated high school and Boy Meets World was receiving a spinoff, fourteen years after the show’s emotional finale. Memes about 90’s Kids infiltrated Tumblr, and I noticed, for the first time, that low-rise jeans and lip-gloss had become obsolete. My mother explained to me that Pluto rested in Sagittarius for the majority of the 2000’s, finally entering Capricorn in 2008. If I were to describe the 2000’s to an alien who never rummaged through Abercrombie before phones had flashlights, I would describe the decade as very Sagittarian.
           
Nearly all the major pop stars of the decade were Sagittarians. Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Miley Cyrus, and Taylor Swift are just a few—all Sagittarians, all 2000’s royalty. Justin Timberlake is a Sagittarius Moon, and even Kim Kardashian, who rose to fame at the end of the decade, has Sagittarius Rising. The whole essence of the aesthetic at the time could be labeled “over the top.” It’s only too fitting that Sagittarius is known as the sign of taking things too far. It’s also no surprise that a major theme of this time was “sex sells.” Sagittarius has a reputation for flaunting sexuality, displaying it in a more overt fashion than its secretive predecessor: Scorpio. (That was the nineties.) The essence of the centaur was everywhere fifteen years ago. From Lil Wayne’s “I wanna lick lick lick lick lick you like a lollipop,” to Justin and Britney’s iconic, yet tacky denim and diamonds look. The 2000’s scream Sagittarius, and the more you reminisce, the more apparent it becomes.
           
The 2010’s took on a more serious tone, but that’s to be expected with Capricorn. Bubblegum pink gloss was replaced with a matte, charcoal lipstick. The focus deviated from cleavage to eyebrows, a facial feature that we associate with concern. Earth signs, such as Lorde and Beyonce, defined the aesthetic with a dark, more understated style. I always joke that Capricorn’s style can be defined as ‘trying hard to look like they’re not trying at all,’ which is how I would describe the fashion of the 2010’s. Skinny jeans and miniskirts were replaced with leggings and joggers. Belly-button rings and body glitter were replaced with septum rings and winged eyeliner. Pinks and purples were abandoned for neutral colors. Beyond that, the 2010’s marked a time of deep financial insecurity, as well as rampant publicizing of success and achievement through social media. And pop music, as we knew it, was swapped for indie-pop and alternative radio hits. I believe we will look back on this time and think, ‘why did we take ourselves so goddam seriously?’
           
​In 2023, Pluto enters Aquarius, and one can only assume what that will mean for the essence of the next decade. If I were to guess, I’d predict that the fashion will become more individualistic. We may find it less trendy to follow trends; perhaps the trend will simply be “eccentric.” Music might return to a more futuristic sound of the 80’s, or a futuristic sound we have yet to even hear. Art may become less commercialized, and technology may change the way we live our lives in a drastic way. I, for one, can’t wait to see what comes of it all. The influence of our galaxy’s tiniest planet is fascinating to track. If you’d like to track its path as well, note that it often retrogrades, but for longer periods of time than Mercury or other planets. The 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s were less consistent due to the planet’s retrograding between signs, but the essence of the decades are still marked by Pluto’s path. The dwarf planet takes anywhere between ten to thirty years to travel through a sign, completing its lap around the entire chart every 248 years. Check out the dates below…
 
Oct. 1971 - Apr. 1972: Libra
Apr. 1972 – Jul. 1972: Virgo
Jul. 1972 – Nov. 1983: Libra
Nov. 1983 – May 1984: Scorpio
May 1984 – Aug. 1984: Libra
Aug. 1984 – Jan. 1995: Scorpio
Jan. 1995 - Apr. 1995: Sagittarius
Apr. 1995 - Nov. 1995: Scorpio
Nov. 1995 – Jan. 2008: Sagittarius
Jan. 2008 – Jun. 2008: Capricorn
Jun. 2008 – Nov. 2008: Sagittarius
Nov. 2008 – Mar. 2023: Capricorn
Mar. 2023 - ? 2043: Aquarius