27 Signs You’re Dating A Guy Who Truly Respects You

1. When he introduces you to friends and family, his brief description of who you are makes you blush because he tends to exaggerate your talents and/or greatest personality traits.

2. It turns him on to see you express a strong opinion, whether you’re chatting with people you’ve just met or with longtime friends at a group dinner. You’ll probably catch him out of the corner of your eye, sitting back and smiling, as he watches you gesture like crazy to establish your point.

3. He defers to you on subjects you know more about and asks thoughtful questions about these topics because he genuinely enjoys learning from you.

4. If he’s the expert in a given area, he’s not pompous about it. If anything, he takes great pride in sharing his knowledge and/or instructing you in some way.

5. He thinks it’s endearing—and not a sign of weakness—when you fuck up or struggle a little bit with something.

6. He considers it an accomplishment when he proves you wrong about something because in his mind you’re right 75 percent of the time or so, whether or not you actually are.

7. He pushes you, sometimes beyond your comfort zone, to pursue your dreams and ambitions—because he believes in you that much.

8. He’s always as interested in making you orgasm as he is in getting himself off.

9. He has sexual goals focused on your pleasure, like getting you to climax multiple times, or trying out a new position he’s researched that supposedly feels great for women.

10. He gets a little jealous when you refer to other guys in your life whom you respect and interact with regularly—not because he doesn’t trust you, but because he understands your market value and he’s always a little bit afraid to lose you.

11. On the rare occasion he doesn’t like something you’re wearing, he manages to tell you without being offensive. In fact, he’ll package an outfit critique as a compliment, such as: “That dress doesn’t do your hot body justice.”

12. He’s not afraid of superlatives when complimenting you. You are “the most beautiful woman,” “the most perfect fit” for him, and “the smartest person” he’s ever been with.

13. Once in a while, he also says something grandiose like “you are everything to me,” or “you are my world.”

14. After a while, he might even tack a quasi-embarrassing hashtag onto a social media post that’s a not-so-subtle ode to your relationship, like #myworld or #forever.

15. He’d rather study or do mundane chores with you rather than let you do these things alone, no matter how dull or unappealing the task.

16. He wants to know your opinion about everything: wardrobe, politics, current events, career moves, the merits of a stupid celebratory rumor, etc.

17. He’s not afraid to express his opinions, even when they differ from yours, because he knows you thrive during a healthy debate.

18. And while he wants to be heard, he never expects you to change your mind—unless that happens organically, in which case he’ll feel super satisfied because he truly values your mind.

19. He forwards you articles he knows you’ll find interesting—about things he never would have read before you started dating.

20. He is your number one fan and he considers you his.

21. When you’re stressed out or upset, your down mood triggers a desire in him to be a better partner and to do his best to help you through the difficult stuff, although he recognizes that your problems don’t hinge on him alone.

22. If you get nasty or say something extreme in the midst of a fight, he doesn’t let it impact his view of you because he knows he’s equally capable of saying something stupid in the heat of the moment.

23. When he hurts you, he takes your pain seriously and makes a heartfelt commitment to be more mindful of your feelings moving forward.

24. He leans on you when he’s sick, exhausted, sad, or in need of extra love and attention just because.

25. He’s committed to dividing your free time as a couple between your friend groups and he makes an effort to integrate the two whenever it makes sense.

26. He goes out of his way to invite you to social events and work related gatherings, even if he knows he’ll be the only guy with a “plus one.”

27. If he does head somewhere without you, he’ll text saying that he wishes you were there—not just to flatter you, but because he really does have more fun when you’re around. Chances are, he’ll come home earlier than he would if you were with him.