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{{About|the relationship concept|musical duo|Friendzone}} {{Short description|Inability to move from a platonic relationship into a romantic one}}
{{Other uses}}
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In popular culture, the "'''friend zone'''" refers to a ] wherein ]. It is generally considered to be an undesirable situation by the lovelorn person.<ref name=twsFebX19/> Once the friend zone is established, it is said to be difficult to move beyond that point in a relationship.
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
]
{{Close Relationships|types}}
{{Love sidebar|all}}
{{Emotion}}


In popular culture, the '''friend zone''' (or '''friendzone''') is a relational concept, describing a situation in which one person in a mutual ] wishes to enter into a ] with the other person, while the other does not.<ref>{{Citation |title=Oxford English Dictionary |url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/friend-zone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131129154332/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/friend-zone |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 November 2013 |contribution=friend zone |quote=...a situation in which a friendship exists between two people, one of whom has an unrequited romantic or sexual interest in the other... |access-date=22 January 2014}}</ref> The person whose romantic advances were rejected is then said to have "entered" (or to have been "put in") the friend zone, with the sense that they are stuck there. The friendzone has a strong presence on the Internet; for example, on ], dating sites, and other social media platforms. However, over time the term has expanded into middle schools, high schools, and colleges where young people are discovering their identities when it comes to dating and romance.<ref>Buchler, Chelsea (5 January 2014). "The "Friendzone": Renegotiating Gender Performance and Boundaries in Relationship Discourse". ''University of Colorado Boulder''.</ref>
==Application==
There are differing explanations about what causes a person to be placed in the friend zone by another. It might result from misinterpreted signals or from a fear that a deeper relationship might jeopardize the friendship. A '']'' writer suggested there were several cases in which a man might become relegated to the friend zone: (1) the woman is not sufficiently attracted to the man, (2) the woman misinterprets ] from the man signaling his interest in deepening the relationship, (3) there is sexual repulsion (but not enough to block a friendship).<ref name=twsFebX18/> In a friendship between a man and a woman, being relegated to the ''friend zone'' can happen to either person.<ref name=twsFebX18>{{cite news
|author= GINA B.
|title= What's so bad about the friend zone?
|publisher= ''Chicago Tribune''
|date= January 12, 2007
|url= http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2007-01-12/news/0701120408_1_new-friends-attraction-friendship
|accessdate= 2011-02-24
}}</ref> The zone has been described in this way:


The concept of the friend zone has been criticized by some as ], because of a belief that the concept implies an expectation that women should be romantically involved with men in whom they have no interest, simply because the men were nice to them,<ref name="6 reasons">{{Cite web |last=Dickson |first=E.J. |date=12 October 2013 |title=6 reasons the "friend zone" needs to die |url=http://www.salon.com/2013/10/12/6_reasons_the_friend_zone_needs_to_die/ |access-date=26 April 2015 |website=] }}</ref><ref name="Marcotte">{{Cite web |last=Marcotte |first=Amanda |date=27 May 2014 |title=The dangerous discourse of "the friend zone" |url=http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/05/27/the-dangerous-discourse-of-the-friend-zone/ |website=] |access-date=7 June 2014 |archive-date=1 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140801110241/http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/05/27/the-dangerous-discourse-of-the-friend-zone/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> though the term refers to all forms of unrequited affection, not necessarily a man liking a woman. It is also closely associated with so-called "]".<ref>{{cite news|first=Rachel|last=Hosie|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/love-sex/nice-guy-syndrome-dating-tactics-persona-men-women-relationships-a7476651.html|title=The sinister logic behind 'Nice Guy Syndrome', explained by psychologists|newspaper=]|date=16 December 2016|accessdate=March 17, 2024}}</ref>
{{quotation|When a guy agrees to be friends, he's forced to stifle his attraction while regularly seeing and talking to the woman he's attracted to. She discusses her love life and has the audacity to ask his advice on it. He performs occasional "manly" household and automotive favors for the women. Essentially, he does everything a boyfriend would do&nbsp;– without the benefits.|Gina B.|Chicago Tribune|2007<ref name=twsFebX18/>}}


The term was originally popularized in the American sitcom television series '']'' (1994). In the seventh episode of the first season, "]", ] is lovesick for ], but ] informs him that, when two people meet, there is a short period in which there is potential for a romantic relationship that Ross has gone beyond. After this time, if they continue to see each other, they are in the "friend zone" and so a romantic relationship is effectively impossible, even if one of the parties wants to be the other's lover.<ref>{{cite web|first=Sarah-Louise|last=Kelly|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/people-are-just-realising-where-the-term-friend-zone-came-from-and-were-stunned_uk_65e9cde8e4b0c77c74157b33|title=People Are Just Realising Where The Term 'Friend Zone' Came From And We're Stunned|website=]|date=March 7, 2024|accessdate=March 16, 2024}}</ref>
Marshall Fine of '']'' suggested that the friend zone is "like the penalty box of dating, when your only crime is not being buff and unobtainable."<ref name=twsFebX24>{{cite news
|author= Marshall Fine
|title= HuffPost Review: Just Wright
|publisher= ''Huffington Post''
|date= May 10, 2010
|url= http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marshall-fine/huffpost-review-ijust-wri_b_569896.html
|accessdate= 2011-02-24
}}</ref> Dating adviser Ali Binazir described the friend zone as '']'', and wrote that it's a "territory only to be rivaled in inhospitability by the western ], the ], and ]."<ref name=twsFebX19>{{cite news
|author= Ali Binazir M.D. M.Phil.
|title= How to stay out of the Friend Zone
|publisher= ''taoofdating.com''
|date= February 2011
|url= http://taoofdating.com/how-to-stay-out-of-friend-zone/
|accessdate= 2011-02-24
}}</ref>


==Terminology==
One man described himself as always having girlfriends who were "girls" but were only his "friends", meaning there was no sex between them.<ref name=twsFebX21>{{cite news
The term friendzone can be ], as in the sentence "So, she's friend-zoned you."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thejambar.com/the-friend-zone-less-innocuous-than-it-seems/|title=The Friend Zone: Less Innocuous than it Seems? - The Jambar|date=February 2018 }}</ref> It is described as " situation in which a friendship exists between two people, one of whom has an unreciprocated romantic or sexual interest in the other."<ref>Shields, Giorgia (12 January 2017). "A place where every decent guy will find himself eventually": delineating the friend zone as a site of sexual violence". ''The University of Texas at Austin''.</ref> Although the term is apparently gender-neutral, the friend zone is often used to describe a situation in a male-female relationship in which the male is in the friend zone and the female is the object of his ], or vice versa, where the female is being friend-zoned by the male, although less common.<ref>{{Cite news |date=12 October 2013 |title=6 reasons the "friend zone" needs to die |language=en-US |work=Salon |url=https://www.salon.com/2013/10/12/6_reasons_the_friend_zone_needs_to_die/ |access-date=25 October 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/men-friend-zone-women|title=Women Get Friend-Zoned Too – And Men Still Sleep With Them Anyway|first=Natalie|last=Gil|website=www.refinery29.com}}</ref> The person who does the friend-zoning is referred to as the ''friend-zoner'', whereas the person who gets friend-zoned is called the ''friend-zonee''.
|author= Mastin Kipp
|title= Choosing a Better Kind of Love
|publisher= ''Huffington Post''
|date= June 3, 2010
|url= http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mastin-kipp/love-choosing-a-better-ki_b_598693.html
|accessdate= 2011-02-24
}}</ref>


The term "friend zone" is sometimes used in ] literature, where it forms part of PUA theories about female sexual attraction to males.
There is general agreement that once a man is in the friend zone, it is difficult to get out.<ref name=twsFebX27>{{cite news
|author= Dr. Alex Benzer
|title= How Rich Guys Screw Up Their Chances with Women
|publisher= ''Huffington Post''
|date= April 2, 2009
|url= http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-alex-benzer/how-rich-guys-ruin-their_b_181386.html
|accessdate= 2011-02-24
}}</ref> However, there was a report in '']'' magazine that suggested that a friend-only relation could change into a sexual one.<ref name=Cosmomagazine/> It was based in part on a 2001 ] survey in which 71% of respondents hoped that they would fall in love with a friend.<ref name=Cosmomagazine>{{cite news
|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-15951082_ITM
|title=When you fall for a guy pal: the "just friends" zone is like relationship quicksand, but you can get out with a few strategic maneuvers.
|publisher=]
|accessdate=2008-01-14
| date=2006-06-01}}</ref> It has also been suggested that women may also become victims of the "friend zone", in which a man treats them as only a friend, while the woman prefers a more intimate relationship.<ref>, AskMen.com</ref><ref name=twsFebX22>{{cite news
|author= Emily Yahr
|title= The CW's 'Plain Jane,' a not-so-extreme makeover show
|publisher= ''Washington Post''
|quote= she harbors a hard-core crush on her buddy Ty, who has categorized her in "the friend zone" since college.
|date= July 25, 2010
|url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/22/AR2010072206828.html
|accessdate= 2011-02-24
}}</ref>


== Research ==
Despite the pitfalls of friend zones, there have been views advanced that a ''friend zone'' relation can evolve from "the lingering possibility of becoming more than a friend" into something deeper, particularly if the friend-zone friendship leads to a long term feeling of trustworthiness and intimacy.<ref>{{cite web
Binghamton University did a study on undergraduates from a midsize university in the northeastern United States. There were 562 participants with 305 identified as female and 257 as male. Of the 562 participants, 427 were exclusively heterosexual while 113 were not exclusively heterosexual. The participants were asked "Have you ever friend-zoned someone else?" and "Have you ever been friend-zoned?" The study found that 65.7% of exclusively heterosexual males have friend-zoned someone while 92.6% of exclusively heterosexual females have friend-zoned someone. The study also found that 75.2% of exclusively heterosexual males have been friend-zoned before while only 41.2% of exclusively heterosexual females have been friend-zoned before.<ref>Harrington, Lillian, et al. (2017).</ref>
|url=http://www.manhelper.com/dating_sex/5_reasons_why_being_in_the_friend_zone_is_a_good_thing
|title=5 Reasons Why Being in the Friend Zone is a Good Thing
|publisher=]
|accessdate=2012-06-30}}</ref>


==Criticism== == Background ==
Writer Jeremy Nicholson in '']'' suggested that a romantic pursuer, in order to avoid being rejected upfront, uses a ploy of acting friendly as a "back door" way into a hoped-for relationship. When this method does not work, the pursuer consequently is placed in the ''friend zone''.<ref name="twsPsychToday5">{{Cite journal |last=Nicholson |first=Jeremy |date=1 March 2013 |title=Avoiding the Friend Zone: Becoming a Boyfriend or a Girlfriend |url=http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-attraction-doctor/201302/avoiding-the-friend-zone-becoming-girlfriend-or-boyfriend |journal=] |page=3}}</ref>
The term 'friend zone' has come under scrutiny by ], which defines "friendzone" as "An imaginary condition created by a sexist person who feels entitled to sexual contact with another person."<ref name=twsFebX29>{{cite news
|author= Jesse Lawson
|title= The Definition of Friendzone
|publisher= ''Lawsonry''
|date= May 8, 2013
|url= http://lawsonry.com/2013/05/the-definition-of-friendzone.html
|accessdate= 2013-05-12
}}</ref>


According to some psychologists, the man in a ] is more likely to be attracted to his woman friend than she is to him, and he is more likely to overestimate her interest in a romantic or sexual relationship.<ref name="twsTheGuardian2" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bleske-Rechek |first1=April |last2=Somers |first2=Erin |last3=Micke |first3=Cierra |last4=Erickson |first4=Leah |last5=Matteson |first5=Lindsay |last6=Stocco |first6=Corey |last7=Schumacher |first7=Brittany |last8=Ritchie |first8=Laura |date=August 2012 |title=Benefit or burden? Attraction in cross-sex friendship |journal=] |volume=29 |issue=5 |pages=569–596 |doi=10.1177/0265407512443611 |s2cid=4991872}} </ref>
Humor and alternative music blog Stuff You Will Hate is heavily critical of the concept of the friendzone, and of the archetypal self-proclaimed "nice guy" to whom the term is often applied. To quote blog contributor Save Parker, "Some dudes get it into their head that they’re really nice to a girl she’ll just fuck them, which really on paper doesn’t sound like a practice that makes any sense. So they just spend all their time piling on compliments and favors in a futile attempt to be seen as not a friend (when they’re really just being a really good friend) and then blame the girl for never being attracted to them from the start. If someone thinks you’re their friend and you want to date, they don’t have to, and most likely they do not want to." In a more recent post, he said, "You aren’t owed anything for being nice, everyone should be nice. To every person you meet. All the time. Not just because you want to have sex with them. That’s not nice."<ref>{{cite web
|url= http://www.stuffyouwillhate.com/2012/05/lets-talk-about-why-the-friend-zone-is-bullshit/
|title= Let's Talk About Why the "Friend Zone" is Bullshit
|publisher= ''Stuff You Will Hate''
|accessdate= 2013-05-14
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url= http://www.stuffyouwillhate.com/2013/05/how-to-tell-if-youre-a-nice-guy-and-how-to-stop-it-cause-its-awful/
|title= How to Tell if You're a "Nice Guy" (and how to stop it cause it's awful)
|publisher= ''Stuff You Will Hate''
|accessdate= 2013-05-14
}}</ref>


==Criticism of the term==
==Popular culture==
] writers such as Rivu Dasgupta and ] have argued that the friend zone concept is ].<ref name="maneater"/><ref name="Marcotte"/><ref>{{Cite web |last=Moore |first=Tracy |date=2 November 2014 |title=Hey Dude, You're Not Stuck in the Friendzone Cuz You Dress Shitty (blog) |url=http://jezebel.com/hey-dude-youre-not-stuck-in-the-friendzone-cuz-you-dre-1653403664 |access-date=26 April 2015 |website=] |publisher=]}}</ref><ref name="6 reasons" /> Dasgupta sees the friend zone as being rooted in ].<ref name="maneater"/> The '']'' concept has been criticized as a ] with an underlying message that kind acts demand a sexual or romantic reward.<ref name="maneater">{{cite web|last1=Dasgupta|first1=Rivu|title=The Friend Zone is Sexist|url=http://www.themaneater.com/stories/2014/2/13/friend-zone-sexist/|website=The Maneater|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205161105/http://www.themaneater.com/stories/2014/2/13/friend-zone-sexist/ |archive-date=5 December 2014|accessdate=20 May 2024}}</ref> Dasgupta and Marcotte say that the concept implies that if a woman and a man have a platonic friendship and the man becomes romantically attracted to the woman, then the woman has an obligation to return his affection.<ref name="maneater"/> A woman who does not return her "nice guy" male friend's affection is viewed negatively or seen to be at fault.<ref name="maneater"/> Ryan Milner of the ] argued that the ''friend zone'' concept is a nuanced and harmful aspect of ] authority and male domination.<ref name=twsFiberCulture4>{{cite journal|last1=Milner|first1=Ryan M.|title=FCJ-156 Hacking the Social: Internet Memes, Identity Antagonism, and the Logic of Lulz|journal=The Fiberculture Journal|date=2013|issue=22, 2013|page=16|url=http://twentytwo.fibreculturejournal.org/fcj-156-hacking-the-social-internet-memes-identity-antagonism-and-the-logic-of-lulz/|accessdate=6 November 2014}}</ref>
The term "friend zone" was popularized by a 1994 episode of the American ] '']'' entitled "]", where the character ], who was ] for ], was described by character ] as being the "mayor of the friend zone".<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.tv.com/friends/the-one-with-the-blackout/episode/351/recap.html
|title=Friends: The One With the Blackout Recap
|publisher=]
|accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> The question of whether a man can ever "escape the friend zone and begin dating one of his female friends" helped make the "geek dream couple"<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://tv.ign.com/articles/764/764349p2.html
|title=IGN's Top 10 Favorite TV Couples
|publisher=]
|accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> of Ross and Rachel storyline compelling dramatically, according to one view. Comedian ] talked about men being trapped in the friend zone in his 1996 album '']''. The television show '']'' used the term on the episode entitled "My Best Friend's Mistake" in which the character ] explained that after an important turning point happens in the relationship between a man and a woman, there are less than 48 hours to do something about it or else the man will be stuck in the woman's friend zone forever. J.D. doesn't get to finish kissing his unrequited love, ], in 48 hours, so he entered into an imaginary "Friend Zone" hospital room filled with other men who had similarly become stuck in Elliot's friend zone.


'']'' contributor Ally Fogg argues that while the friend zone does not exist in a literal sense, men who use the term "friend zone" are not necessarily misogynists who feel entitled to sex. He states the term's usage reflects a genuine emotional experience for straight men with low self-esteem and self-confidence. He places blame on ingrained gender roles.<ref name="twsTheGuardian2">{{Cite news |last=Fogg |first=Ally |date=8 January 2013 |title=Not all men in the 'friend zone' are bad guys |work=] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jan/08/friends-friend-zone |access-date=29 November 2014}}</ref> Being rejected by a potential partner does not mean a person has been friend-zoned; it means that potential partner does not want to pursue a romantic relationship.<ref>Williamson, Carlos. . ''Chicago Tribune''. January 30, 2018.</ref>
The 2005 film '']'' main character, played by ], reunited after ten years with his friend played by ], who informs him that she loves him "like a brother", essentially dashing any hopes of him having her as a girlfriend.<ref>, RadioFree.com Interviews (Nov. 5, 2005)</ref> The movie '']'' explored the theme of whether men and women could be friends without being lovers.


==In popular culture==
In May 2011, ] had a show entitled ]. In an interview with a national publication, a producer said:
The term was popularized by a 1994 episode of the American sitcom '']'' entitled "]", where the character ], who was ] for ], was described by character ] as being the "mayor of the friend zone".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Friends: The One With the Blackout Recap |url=http://www.tv.com/friends/the-one-with-the-blackout/episode/351/recap.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205051857/http://www.tv.com/friends/the-one-with-the-blackout/episode/351/recap.html |archive-date=5 December 2008 |access-date=14 January 2008 |publisher=]}}</ref>


The 2005 romantic comedy film '']'' main plot device is that the protagonist Chris Brander (played by ]) is "friend-zoned" by his best friend (and secret love interest since school) Jamie Palamino (played by ]).
{{Quote|The idea for the show came out of my own experience. Unfortunately, I know the pain of telling the girl of your dreams you love them and want to take the relationship to the next level only to be told they don't feel the same. I figured if it happened to me, it might be something others could relate to as well. If it works, you have the beginnings of a great love story. If it doesn't, well, pain and humiliation make great TV, too."|an MTV producer<ref></ref>}}


] mentions the term in his 1996 "Bring the Pain" skit. He says that women have male friends but these men are friends with women they "haven't fucked yet". Then claims that men who have platonic friends is because of an accident and ending up in the friend zone is because of a "wrong turn somewhere".<ref name="auto">Michael, Cherish Krista. "Perceptions of Healthy and Respectful Relationships and Friend Zone Phenomena." PhD diss., Arizona State University, 2015.</ref>
In the 2010 ]-sitcom '']'', the character of James described the friend zone as "a dark place, where you give girls rides to the airport, talk about their ex-boyfriends and help them move in", without ever having a chance to become a couple. The band ] made a song known as "Friend Zone" in 2012 about a band member's crush with another girl.

] aired a reality show entitled '']'' from 2011 to 2013. Each episode is based around "crushers" who are friends with the "crushees" but want to begin relationships with them.

The ] series '']'' brings up and shows the friend zone on a regular basis, as one of the show's main characters, Mordecai, and his friend Margaret experience shifts in their relationship.


==See also== ==See also==
{{Portal|Sexuality}} {{Portal|Human sexuality}}
* ] * ]
* ] * ]
* ] * ]
* ] * ]
* ]
* ] * ]


==References== ==References==
{{Reflist}} {{Reflist|30em}}

{{Friends}}


]
] ]
] ]

Latest revision as of 16:43, 17 September 2024

Inability to move from a platonic relationship into a romantic one For other uses, see Friend zone (disambiguation).

Two partygoers demonstrating the "friend zone"

Relationships
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Emotions

In popular culture, the friend zone (or friendzone) is a relational concept, describing a situation in which one person in a mutual friendship wishes to enter into a romantic or sexual relationship with the other person, while the other does not. The person whose romantic advances were rejected is then said to have "entered" (or to have been "put in") the friend zone, with the sense that they are stuck there. The friendzone has a strong presence on the Internet; for example, on Facebook, dating sites, and other social media platforms. However, over time the term has expanded into middle schools, high schools, and colleges where young people are discovering their identities when it comes to dating and romance.

The concept of the friend zone has been criticized by some as misogynistic, because of a belief that the concept implies an expectation that women should be romantically involved with men in whom they have no interest, simply because the men were nice to them, though the term refers to all forms of unrequited affection, not necessarily a man liking a woman. It is also closely associated with so-called "nice guy syndrome".

The term was originally popularized in the American sitcom television series Friends (1994). In the seventh episode of the first season, "The One with the Blackout", Ross Geller is lovesick for Rachel Green, but Joey Tribbiani informs him that, when two people meet, there is a short period in which there is potential for a romantic relationship that Ross has gone beyond. After this time, if they continue to see each other, they are in the "friend zone" and so a romantic relationship is effectively impossible, even if one of the parties wants to be the other's lover.

Terminology

The term friendzone can be verbified, as in the sentence "So, she's friend-zoned you." It is described as " situation in which a friendship exists between two people, one of whom has an unreciprocated romantic or sexual interest in the other." Although the term is apparently gender-neutral, the friend zone is often used to describe a situation in a male-female relationship in which the male is in the friend zone and the female is the object of his unrequited desire, or vice versa, where the female is being friend-zoned by the male, although less common. The person who does the friend-zoning is referred to as the friend-zoner, whereas the person who gets friend-zoned is called the friend-zonee.

The term "friend zone" is sometimes used in pick up artist (PUA) literature, where it forms part of PUA theories about female sexual attraction to males.

Research

Binghamton University did a study on undergraduates from a midsize university in the northeastern United States. There were 562 participants with 305 identified as female and 257 as male. Of the 562 participants, 427 were exclusively heterosexual while 113 were not exclusively heterosexual. The participants were asked "Have you ever friend-zoned someone else?" and "Have you ever been friend-zoned?" The study found that 65.7% of exclusively heterosexual males have friend-zoned someone while 92.6% of exclusively heterosexual females have friend-zoned someone. The study also found that 75.2% of exclusively heterosexual males have been friend-zoned before while only 41.2% of exclusively heterosexual females have been friend-zoned before.

Background

Writer Jeremy Nicholson in Psychology Today suggested that a romantic pursuer, in order to avoid being rejected upfront, uses a ploy of acting friendly as a "back door" way into a hoped-for relationship. When this method does not work, the pursuer consequently is placed in the friend zone.

According to some psychologists, the man in a cross-gender friendship is more likely to be attracted to his woman friend than she is to him, and he is more likely to overestimate her interest in a romantic or sexual relationship.

Criticism of the term

Feminist writers such as Rivu Dasgupta and Amanda Marcotte have argued that the friend zone concept is misogynistic. Dasgupta sees the friend zone as being rooted in male narcissism. The nice guy concept has been criticized as a gender trope with an underlying message that kind acts demand a sexual or romantic reward. Dasgupta and Marcotte say that the concept implies that if a woman and a man have a platonic friendship and the man becomes romantically attracted to the woman, then the woman has an obligation to return his affection. A woman who does not return her "nice guy" male friend's affection is viewed negatively or seen to be at fault. Ryan Milner of the College of Charleston argued that the friend zone concept is a nuanced and harmful aspect of patriarchal authority and male domination.

TheGuardian.com contributor Ally Fogg argues that while the friend zone does not exist in a literal sense, men who use the term "friend zone" are not necessarily misogynists who feel entitled to sex. He states the term's usage reflects a genuine emotional experience for straight men with low self-esteem and self-confidence. He places blame on ingrained gender roles. Being rejected by a potential partner does not mean a person has been friend-zoned; it means that potential partner does not want to pursue a romantic relationship.

In popular culture

The term was popularized by a 1994 episode of the American sitcom Friends entitled "The One with the Blackout", where the character Ross Geller, who was lovesick for Rachel Green, was described by character Joey Tribbiani as being the "mayor of the friend zone".

The 2005 romantic comedy film Just Friends main plot device is that the protagonist Chris Brander (played by Ryan Reynolds) is "friend-zoned" by his best friend (and secret love interest since school) Jamie Palamino (played by Amy Smart).

Chris Rock mentions the term in his 1996 "Bring the Pain" skit. He says that women have male friends but these men are friends with women they "haven't fucked yet". Then claims that men who have platonic friends is because of an accident and ending up in the friend zone is because of a "wrong turn somewhere".

MTV aired a reality show entitled FriendZone from 2011 to 2013. Each episode is based around "crushers" who are friends with the "crushees" but want to begin relationships with them.

The Cartoon Network series Regular Show brings up and shows the friend zone on a regular basis, as one of the show's main characters, Mordecai, and his friend Margaret experience shifts in their relationship.

See also

References

  1. "friend zone", Oxford English Dictionary, archived from the original on 29 November 2013, retrieved 22 January 2014, ...a situation in which a friendship exists between two people, one of whom has an unrequited romantic or sexual interest in the other...
  2. Buchler, Chelsea (5 January 2014). "The "Friendzone": Renegotiating Gender Performance and Boundaries in Relationship Discourse". University of Colorado Boulder.
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