omg 100% this

I'm a leo so I get a different version of it ('you're so dramatic') but same energy

fire signs just express things fully and somehow that's scary to people who bottle everything up lol

The 'aggressive' label for Aries comes from Mars rulership - Mars governs drive, assertion, and action. In pop astrology that gets flattened into just 'angry' which isn't accurate.

Aries energy is initiating energy. It cuts through, it's direct, it doesn't hedge. In a world that over-values indirectness, that reads as aggressive to people who aren't used to it.

There's a difference between assertion and aggression. Sounds like you're very clear on that distinction even if others aren't.

my best friend is an aries and honestly she's one of the least aggressive people I know?? she's direct yes but also incredibly loyal and will hype you up like nobody else

I think people confuse not-sugarcoating with being aggressive