When Meat Loaf sang "I would do anything for love, but I won't do that," he started a worldwide debate over what "that" is. He's actually said "that" means different things throughout the song, depending on the line before it, but perhaps the lyrics were intentionally vague. Maybe he wanted us to fill in the blanks with the thing we would never do for love under any circumstances. Maybe, even if he didn't, we could stand to think about that.
While it's good to date with an open mind and an understanding that someone who doesn't fit our checklist could actually be our perfect match, it's also important to know what our own personal limits are. Someone people might see location as no big deal, while others may have a strong limit on long-distance relationships. Some may only want to date vegans, while others may only see omnivores fitting into their lifestyles. And when it comes to the sacrifices we'd make, people may surprise us by giving us a reason to rethink our priorities, but we should never feel pressured into something against our will. Meat Loaf gets that.
Here are a few things people say they'd never do for love. Regardless of the song's meaning, maybe these can bring you closer to finding your personal "that."
1. Megan, 30
"Date someone who voted for Trump. My new deal-breaker."
2. Layla, 32
"Hurt a person or animal."
3. Abbey, 26
"Have a baby."
4. Tracy, 47
"Tolerate your abusive family members. You may have to, but I don't! [And being] poly. God, just ONE husband and set of kids is already so much damn emotional work!"
5. Kelly, 40
"Change my religious or political beliefs."
6. Shari, 41
"Put up with bigotry or hate."
7. Charyn, 43
"Tolerate one-sided DADT (Don't Ask Don't Tell) with a primary partner in a mutually non-monogamous relationship. I just broke up with someone I loved because he felt it was more important to protect the feelings of his play partners than disclose his relationship status."
8. Sarah, 36
"I would not sacrifice my relationship with my child."
9. Danielle, 28
"Go vegan."
10. Jessica, 34
"Change or abandon my faith and political views. It's taken me a lifetime to reach them!"
11. Caitlyn, 48
"Change my religion; inflict pain or harm to another intentionally."
12. Kim, 26
"Move to Chicago."
13. Genevieve, 57
"Move to Europe so that my only kid, at University, can never ever call me when she gets home in the evening and really needs to talk because it's in the middle of the night my time. I tried it and love does not conquer the overwhelming sadness that you're not there for your daughter — whom you've always been close to — but instead you're tending to someone else's kids who would never even want to call you after some jerk of a date takes another girl home. Make no mistake, when you move to someone else's country, and live in their world, in their time zone, in their (foreign) language, they naturally assume that what you left is easily put behind you — without acknowledging that the life you came from is actually a part of who you are, maybe even the best part of you.
14. Alison, 29
"CrossFit."
15. Cammy, 47
"Steal, break the law in any way, harm anyone."
16. Stephanie, 38
"Anal sex."
17. Meredith, 26
"Cheat on my husband, murder anyone, or agree not to have or adopt children. I wouldn't disown my family, give up my cats for non-health reasons, or be forced into changing my personality or body significantly and unhealthily. I wouldn't put up with abuse. I wouldn't put up with xenophobia, racism, or homophobia in a partner."
18. Jordan, 26
"Abandon friends and family."
19. Marquis, 25
"Intentionally enforce the patriarchy."
Images: Fotolia; Giphy (9)
