There are countless memes on the internet of girls trapping guys in a friendzone and because of this generalisation, we often don’t believe that the roles can be reversed.
First of all, let’s get rid of a common misconception about the dreaded friendzone. It doesn’t mean that he doesn’t like you, it just means that he doesn’t like you in the way that you do. Is it possible that he might? Sure! But at the moment, he sees you as a friend and would very much like it to stay that way.
People usually think that it’s a bad thing to be given the hint; however, it’s actually better for everyone that a friendzone exists. Instead of relentlessly pursuing someone and wondering why he doesn’t like you when he does hang out with you and is fine with talking to you, you need to look at all the signs there are telling you to stop otherwise it’ll just get awkward.
Most articles on this topic give signs such as ‘he doesn’t like being touched’. I don’t like being touched either, I have my personal space and I won’t appreciate someone constantly touching my shoulder. These signs are about as genuine as they get and they’re a little less cliche and a little more realistic.
1. He hints it.
A lot of people think that if someone doesn’t like a person beyond just being friends, they should tell them. The fact is that the other person doesn’t outwardly say it either, they too only hint at it. If you ask a direct question, you’ll get a direct answer but when you hint at it then you’ll get hints in return.
The most common hint is when he just laughs at your hints. He probably doesn’t mean it in an offensive way, it’s more like "haha, this is awkward, please stop". He might also try to avoid you after you give him a little less of a subtle hint. Instead of wondering where you’re going wrong, just accept the fact that he currently doesn’t want the circumstances to change.
2. He refuses to see a rom-com or anything with romance in it.
Friends hang out, watch a movie etc. It’s all pretty normal but he doesn’t want to see anything with the element of romance in it with you. This might be more of a macho male thing but the odds are that he suspects you have feelings for him and thinks that it might give you the wrong impression.
The movies aren’t always hardcore romantic ones, they might even be romantic comedies but he still doesn’t want to see them.В At least not with you so get the hint.
The reason why you’re still not ready to accept that you’re being friendzoned is probably because of the way he is with you when you two are alone. You think you’re getting signs that he’s into you but all of that changes once you’re on a more public platform.
Say for instance, he’s laughing really loud at your jokes in person but he seems like they were ‘okay-ish’ on the internet. Again, he might not be being mean. He’s just not that into being so close to someone in a place where everyone can misinterpret it.
4. He’ll suggest that you date someone else.
The whole purpose of this article is to recognise signs because no one is saying anything out loud, this is also another sign. You haven’t told him about your feelings but he did get the hint and didn’t suggest you to date another guy in an ‘I’m not interested so..’ manner, more like a ‘you two would be better together’.
He’s your friend and probably doesn’t want to be a jerk to you or be something more than a friend to you so he’s suggesting other genuine people whom you might have a shot with.
5. He’ll tell you about who he likes.
Taylor Swift couldn’t have had said it any better in, ‘Tear drops on my guitar’. You like him, good for you, but the second you realised that he likes someone else, you should’ve stayed within the friendzone. Even if he didn’t notice your hints, this is a pretty clear cut sign for you to know that it isn’t going to go anywhere.
You might really like him but you can’t tell him about it probably because you’re afraid it’ll risk the friendship so you play in signs with each other. Don’t get me wrong here, there can also be signs where he feels the exact same way about you and also shares the exact same concerns, not wanting to ruin a perfectly good friendship, but those signs are different and if your crush in particular displays these signs, then just take a step back.
Talk to me
So, are you trapped in a terrifying friendzone? Which way is it headed for you? Let me know in the comments below!