Friend-zoning is a situation where one partner draws a line that is not intended to be crossed.. You could be friend-zoned knowingly or unknowingly.
Some people know what it means to be friend-zoned. For those who don’t know it’s that ‘zone’ where two people usually of the opposite sex who are in a friendship in which one of them wants to get things beyond just friendship and the other friend doesn’t. The one who wants to push things further is said to have been ‘friend-zoned’.
Explaining it further, in popular culture, the friend zone is a situation in which one member of a friendship wishes to enter into a romantic or sexual relationship, while the other does not want, according to Wikipedia. It continues ” the sense of zone is one of being stuck in an unwanted and distant relationship.”
It’s usually quite sad and you can get friend zoned either knowingly or unknowingly but the end result is usually the same – one person gets hurt.
The Next Edition spoke to some young people to find out if they have ever been friend-zoned or if they had friend-zoned someone.
“Yes, I’ve friend zoned someone. The guy was my very good friend when I started studying abroad. He was really nice and treated me well, sha. He even went out of his way to help me in my studies even when he was in a different line of study. When he wanted to further things I said no. If things went sour I didn’t want to lose him as a friend.” – Grace
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“A girl once told me I’m too good to be dated. That things might go wrong if we dated. That she would want to marry me instead. That I should chill till I’m ready. Another friend zoned me because according to her, I was too tall for her; that she looked like my kid sister when she stood close to me.” – Ed
“Half the time, when it starts with friend zone we always still end up more than that. But I think I like it better there, because when it happens you don’t have to commit.” – Anonymous
“I’ve friend zoned a guy not once, not twice. Just when you know it’s not going to work there’s no need to push it too far.” – Ime
“Yes, I’ve friend zoned someone. She was interested but I wasn’t. I didn’t even want to get intimate with her.” – Ini-obong
“My girlfriend zoned me for over a year. I was always calling and she would tell me I’d talk to you later or call you later but never did. One day, she cut me off badly and I promised myself I would wait for that call. About three months after she did. We’ve been dating for three years now. I can’t get rid of her. I love her.” – Akopac
“There’s this guy who sees me online and sends messages I won’t even bother replying. The fact is I know him so well and he wants more but I don’t want to lead him on because I don’t like him like that.” – Didi
“I friend zone guys all the time. I can’t even lie. Some of them can’t speak up and when they do it’s too late so friend zone it is. Others I just don’t like that way so I will do the whole brother brother bit. It happens.” – Sarah