Relationship Advice for the Hopeful Vegan Romantic

Posted by Calvin on August 28, 2024

Anyone who’s swiped through those apps knows that dating is hard af already—but animal advocates and vegans have a whole other relationship issue to consider. 😲 Even though more and more folks are going vegan, you may be interested in someone who still eats animal-derived foods. So … is that OK? 😶

Here’s the truth: Not only is it OK, it’s also a unique chance to share the animal-friendly lifestyle with someone who otherwise may never get that info. 👌 Here are the top seven tips to make it happen:

1. Be Patient 

Going vegan def doesn’t happen overnight—most of us grew up eating pepperoni pizzas, cheeseburgers, scrambled eggs, and other animal-derived foods. 😬 Change can be hard, and there’s no need to kick someone to the curb because they aren’t a vegan influencer by the second date. 😅 Slow your roll and trust the process.

2. Have Mutual R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Like all good relationships, yours should be built on respect. 🤝 We’re constantly learning about life from others, and there’s no reason why an open-minded hottie can’t learn something about vegan living from you.

Make sure they’re really interested in who you are and respect what’s important to you. And even if they don’t know anything about animal agriculture yet, that doesn’t mean they aren’t compassionate—why not give them a chance? 🤷

3. Don’t Preach

Can’t stress this enough: Aggressively pushing your lifestyle choices on someone can be a major turn-off. 🤢 The same rule applies to your S.O.—if they keep saying you should drop being vegan so that you can “get enough protein,” then bae is being too preachy (and super-misinformed). 😒 Dating is a “no-preach” zone.

4. Know Your Limits

Just as it’s important to have an open mind, it’s crucial to have boundaries. If seeing pics on Bumble of someone standing next to an animal they just shot gives you the ick, same. 😰 Dating someone who hunts may be completely out of the question for you, and that’s completely fine. Be honest and firm about your boundaries—we all have them, so why pretend we don’t?

5. Help Them Make the Connection

Do you and the person you’re dating love the same bands? Share a passion for documentaries? Trade cute pics of your animal companions? Finding common ground is a good way to help them understand why you’re vegan. For example, they wouldn’t want to see their animal companions skinned alive for fur, right? 😨

So help them make the connection between their dog(s) or cat(s) and other animals—before you know it, you could have them thinking about animals in a totally new way.

6. Pick Your Battles

Let’s face it—there may be some cringy things about your S.O. Maybe their car has a leather interior, they have a wool suit, or they tried to get all romantic by giving you a box of milk chocolates. 🤦‍♀️

It’s OK—you can help them choose animal-friendly options in the future. 😊 If your relationship is built on respect (see #2), they’ll realize that being an advocate is a huge part of who you are and try to make better choices moving forward.

7. Find Someone Adventurous

Look for someone with a sense of adventure who’s up for trying a bunch of new stuff. What better way to bond than by introducing them to delicious vegan recipes, awesome cruelty-free products, or your fave animal-friendly movies?

If they really care about you, the least they can do is be open-minded and respect your beliefs. And if things don’t work out between the two of you, just mooove on 🐮 and repeat all these tips with someone else!

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Interested in helping your crush go vegan but unsure of what your first step should be? Text them our ‘Guide to Going Vegan’—you’ll give them a helpful resource and earn yourself 15 peta2 points in our Rewards Program.