The friend zone..

We all loathe that terrifying crunch of gear that comes in
relationships – especially if we don’t see it coming, or pretend
we don’t – that begins with “It’s not you, it’s me”. Sometimes,
of course, you don’t even get that far, careering off the road on
the oily skid mark that is “I think I see us more as friends”.


It’s a form of rejection just like any other, despite being a
very soft letdown. Even though this person is saying they still
want us around, we concentrate on the opportunities denied us –
love, romance, sex. They’re offering us a lifetime of friendship,
and yet all we can see is what they’re withholding.


The process of being quickly categorized out of romantic range is
known as friend-zoning – a kind of grim term that reinforces the
idea friendship is a downgrade and standing in the way of your
orgasm – and is more usually employed in heterosexual
relationships, when a woman decides the best way to destroy any
romantic notions is to allow a man residual, albeit platonic
contact. Often the friend-zoner means this genuinely, but
sometimes it’s a bargain they make to stop you getting mad at
them, to let you down gently. Annoyingly, women are taught to
consider only the man’s feelings when rejecting them – probably
because men are, in turn, conditioned to believe any form of
rejection is about them personally and a slight against their
manhood. And we know what happens when men get angry. It
shouldn’t be this way. So, here's everything you need to know
about the friend zone..