Let’s Unpack Cancer Men: the Sentimental Softies
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Read the below for any man with a Cancer sun or Cancer rising sign, and find even more information on Cancer compatibility here.
Caution: Dad jokes ahead! Yes, we’re talking about the Cancer man, who might come fully accessorized with a dream house, plus a wardrobe full of cardigan sweaters, team jerseys, and at least one pair of corduroy pants. Need a visual example? Google Cancers Tobey Maguire and Will Ferrell.
Accept this fact right now: It’s easier to soften into the Cancer man’s adorkable ways than attempt to change him. Cancer is one of the zodiac’s four leadership-oriented “cardinal” signs (along with Aries, Libra, and Capricorn), which makes him iron-willed when it comes to his identity.
Like the crab that protects itself with a hard shell, this guy can be tough to penetrate. Cancerian rapper Post Malone created his own shell of sorts: a pastiche of tattoos cover his face and head. Barbed wire spans across his hairline, and “Stay Away” is stamped in script above his right eye, just a few pieces in a sea of ink that he started to get to counterbalance insecurities about his looks.
The Cancer man’s values are no happy accident. They’ve been cultivated over the years, backed by deep thought, research, and intuition. He’s pulled them from the pages of the omnipresent paperback novels that he rolls into his jacket pocket and pores over at the coffee shop each day. Asking him to change, in any way, can feel like an affront to his intelligence—a lack of respect for the care he puts into everything that he does.
Same goes for the complex mashup of feelings Mr. Cancer serves. Question those with extreme caution. To him, each one is like the petal of an exquisite rose. Before he hands you the full bouquet of his heart, he must know that you are a safe space.
Cancer Jaden Smith recently announced new music on X with this missive, “So happy to be openly sad and confused for y’all again.” Simultaneously, he shared, “I been getting hella buff working out twice a day and shit Zooted off the lions-mane you know the vibe.” Our translation? For the Cancer man to open himself up to the world at large, he literally has to pump himself up to superhero strength.
As a water sign, he’s naturally emo. When you make it to his inner circle, you’ll find a sentimental softie who lives for birthdays, anniversaries, puppies, and nostalgic gestures. Euphoria hottie, Cancer Jacob Elordi, gushes regularly about his “best friend” and “confidant,” who happens to be his golden retriever, Layla.
The Cancer man who is in touch with his feelings is also often granted the all-access pass to hanging with the girls. Elordi told British GQ that growing up he “was doing plays with girls’ schools.” He said, “I’m spending my weekends with the most beautiful women from the school next door, reading the most romantic words ever written.”
However, in a society still rife with toxic masculinity, Cancer men might fall into the trap of rejecting their own sensitivity. The Cancer man who has been shamed for his feelings can live his life steeped in pain. And like the crab with reflexive pincers, he can be quick to clap back when he feels insulted or hurt. (Note: Steer clear of this type of crab.)
Cancer is the sign archetypally associated with mothers, and women in general, but as we degenderize astrology, it can be seen as a sign connected to parenting in general. Family is a huge deal to this guy, even if relationships with kids and moms are strained or dynamics become uncomfortable.
Then there are the Cancer men like lovable Tom Hanks, who’s been a father since age 21 and has shared his simple recipe for parenting: “I will do anything I can possibly do in order to keep you safe. That’s it. Offer that up and then just love them.” Cancer Milo Ventimiglia still comes through for his TV kids, attending the college graduation of Niles Fitch, his onscreen son in This Is Us.
Tempting though it may be to let him play zaddy, we recommend choosing another pet angle, because you definitely don’t want him to call you “mommy.” The Cancer guy’s relationship with his mother tends to be layered and complex, whether they’re BFFs or she’s the bane of his existence. The minute he begins to project those on you, goodwill can disintegrate.
Stay out of those waters, and focus on the things that are so damn special about him. He’s the guy who understands comfortable silence, a master of parallel play whose companionship is soothing. When you feel like talking, conversations will be rich. He knows every podcast you should listen to, book you have to read, and resource to turn to when you need an accountant, plumber, or life coach.
Plus, he’ll be genuinely invested in your appetites, from the kitchen to the bedroom. Don’t be too much of a mystery! (You can leave that up to him.) He wants to know the recipe for succeeding with you, so it’s in everyone’s best interest to share that with him ASAP.
Best Match: Gemini
These next-door-neighbor signs have a secret connection that’s not always talked about in astrology. Gemini pulls Cancer out into the world, the perfect plus-one for all the social events the Crab might not otherwise attend. Meanwhile, Cancer keeps the home fires burning, creating the perfect pad for relaxing and entertaining Gemini’s 1,001 friends.
Worst Match: Capricorn
While opposites attract and even balance each other nicely here, Cancer is often the one with the short end of the stick. What begins as a plan to support each other’s dreams can quickly devolve into Capricorn as the CEO and Cancer as the personal assistant, organizing the ambitious Sea Goat’s never-ending appointments while the Crab’s goals get moved to the back burner.
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