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The Friend Zone and you

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The friend zone is a confusing, yet all-too-common, place single students find themselves in. “The friend zone is a despicable void that, if entered in, becomes a dangerous hole never to be escaped from,” said Craig Campbell, a senior majoring in ICS peacebuilding from Utah. This sentiment is shared by other students who explained their understanding of the friend zone and how to get out of it. Connor Shepard, an undeclared freshman from California, said people are “unwillingly sent” to the friend zone. Campbell said people put their would-be suitors in the friend zone for a couple of different reasons. “One, they are afraid of commitment, and two, they are not interested.” Micah Fegai, an undeclared freshman from Laie, explained the friend zone develops when “one side of the friendship develops feelings, and the other sees it just as a friendship.” Girls are plagued by the friend zone as well, as Natalie DeMartini, a senior majoring in psychology from California, attested. She described the friend zone as, “My life. A constant state I am in.” However, DeMartini said she believes there is a way out. “Take a leap of faith, man up and just do it,” she said.There are ways to get out of this “desolate hole,” according to Shepard, who said being forward and unpredictable can always help. He also suggests “getting a cannon and shooting yourself out of the zone.”Campbell shared another strategy for escaping the friend zone: “Grab that person you love and kiss them on the mouth. That way they can say yes or no.” He went on to say, “Your cards are on the table and it’s up to them to make the choice. You will either enter the relationship or you might not have a friend anymore.”Signs that you are officially out of the friend zone are different for each person. Campbell said when you are “in a relationship or you are no longer their friend,” you are definitely out of the friend zone. Shepard, however, said he believes a sign you have moved out of the zone is something small, like “playing footsies.”Ultimately, Fegai said the opportunity to get out of the friend zone “is do or die; if you don’t, you will never know.”
Writer: Alyssa Troyanek