Joking about being relegated to the āfriend zoneā may feel harmless, but it can actually be pretty offensive.
A writer has schooled the internet on the problems with the phrase, which, letās face it, is usually used by guys.
TV writer David Slack pointed out that the āfriend zoneā stems from the idea that a woman āowes youā a relationship, even if she isnāt attracted to you.
It also implies that being friends with a woman is something bad or embarrassing, when in reality, we make pretty great pals.
The debate started after a Twitter user shared a series of images from the TV series āTeen Titansā, along with the caption: āThese dudes were the definition of being in the friend zone.ā
The original tweet first went viral last year, but earlier this week it was spotted by Slack, who created two of the āTeen Titansā characters.
He commented on the images to point out that women are not āgames to be wonā.
Another Twitter user joined in the thread to say he found it āstrange and nonsensicalā that people associate the āfriend zoneā with misogyny.
So Slack laid the concept out for all the understand.
We think that clears things up nicely.