Friend zone

The friend zone (or friendship zone) is an popular psychology concept found in many texts geared towards a male audience about "dating advice." It refers to the situation where the female has begun to view a male as a friend only and not a potential suitor. Once this psychological classification has been made it becomes exceptionally difficult to undo.Fact|date=July 2008

Effects

Sex columnist Catherine Townsend describes it as a mutual problem where two people are "trapped in that place of hopelessness and desperation", when they don't want to "risk ruining the friendship if everything crashed and burned". Townsend also cites a feared loss of romance and mystery as well as a fear of rejection. [cite news
url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20060221/ai_n16159759
title=Sex that was worth waiting for
author=Catherine Townsend
date=February 21 2006
publisher=The Independent
accessdate=2008-01-14] "Cosmopolitan" magazine has called it "relationship quicksand", but notes that in a 2001 Match.com survey, 71% of respondents hoped that they would fall in love with a friend. [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=Cosmopolitan
accessdate=2008-01-14]

History

The term "friend zone" was popularized by a 1994 episode of the television sitcom "Friends", where the character Ross Geller, lovesick for Rachel Green, was labeled "Mayor of the Friend Zone". [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=TV.com
accessdate=2008-01-14] The question of whether a man can ever "escape 'The Friend Zone' and begin dating one of his female friends" was key to what made the Ross and Rachel pairing on the show a "geek dream couple". [cite web
url=http://tv.ign.com/articles/764/764349p2.html
title=IGN's Top 10 Favorite TV Couples
publisher=IGN
accessdate=2008-01-14]

The 2005 film "Just Friends" also deals with the "friend zone" and how it impacts on the main character of the film (played by Ryan Reynolds) when he re-united with his female friend from high school (played by Amy Smart) for the first time in 10 years after an incident at a high school graduation party at her home in which she said that she loves him "like a brother", dashing any hopes of him having her as a girlfriend. [ [http://movies.radiofree.com/interviews/justfrie_amy_smart.shtml "Amy Smart on Just Friends"] , RadioFree.com Interviews (Nov. 5, 2005)]

It has also been suggested that women may also become victims of the "friend zone". This is mainly due to a serious lack of physical attraction. [ [http://www.askmen.com/dating/curtsmith_150/162b_dating_advice.html "Just friends - why it happens?"] , AskMen.com]

References

See also

* Ladder theory
* Platonic love