Lifestyle Relationship Tips

Exclusive: Okcupid Wants to Make It Even Easier to Find Your True Match

Rachel Lapidos

September 13, 2017

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Photo: Stocksy/Michela Ravasio

Have you ever started seeing someone and felt all hopeful because you like the same movies and have read the same books (and maybe share an obsession with Barry's Bootcamp)...only to find out down the road that they're on a very different page on an issue that matters to you? It's a common scenario, especially if you're in the world of online dating—you can only glean so much from someone's profile page, after all.

This is exactly why OkCupid, a widely used dating app, is doing something about that (at least in terms of your political beliefs). The company exclusively tells Well+Good that they've partnered with Planned Parenthood to allow users to showcase their support of the nonprofit family-planning organization, which has been a lightning rod for controversy and funding battles in Washington.

"What we're most excited about is the ability to help our daters find folks out there who also care about this issue," says Melissa Hobley, CMO of OkCupid. "A very close second is driving a conversation about sexual health—and in a fun, cheeky, but still informative way."

"Knowing your prospective date supports equal rights, access to reproductive health care, and the best, evidence-based sex education is undeniably sexy."

Since the app is constantly pulling tons of data (it's known for the comprehensive questionnaire you fill out upon sign-up), it's noticed a trend in users discussing Planned Parenthood. Because of this, they decided to join forces with the org to create a badge that reads #IStandWithPP that's prominently displayed on users' profiles (all of whom have publicly responded "no" to the question "Should the government defund Planned Parenthood?").

"Knowing your prospective date supports equal rights, access to reproductive health care, and the best, evidence-based sex education is undeniably sexy," Planned Parenthood's Executive Vice President Dawn Laguens says in a statement. Now all you have to figure out is, will they like my dog?

For your ideal match, you could also check the lunar guide to relationships and dating. And here are expert tips to improve the online dating experience.