Friendzone

I really want this to be a relatively short post. There seem to be a number of people who are offended by the use of the term "friend zone" because they claim that it's sexist.

Now, I get the reasoning as to why people would think that. If you've only heard sexist men use it or you've only heard people use it in a sexist way, I can understand how you might only think that it definition is severely limited to "when a hot woman is unwilling to put out sexually for a horny man."

I just need to say that it is not the only definition of the term as it is used. Another common usage is by men who respect women as fellow human beings. Here's an example:

I'm a man.
I meet a girl.
She's cute.
She's funny.
She's smart!
She's interesting.
She's kind.
She's passionate.
She's talented.
She's adventurous.
She's ambitious.
She cares about all the things I care about.
I care about all the things she cares about.
She gets me!
I get her!
She possesses traits that compliment my own.
I perceive that we are compatible matches as potential mates.
I fall in love with her for being a wonderful and beautiful human being.
This could be the best love ever!
I hope she loves me too.
She loves me!
...but not in the same way.
DAMMIT!
We would be perfect together!
But she's just not attracted to me in that way.
...or she's already with someone else.
...or "I'd totally date you, but I'm not ready for a relationship right now." (which is code for "I'm not attracted to you." There's no reason why you can't just say that, ladies.)
"But we can still be friends. Friends?"
Okay. Friends.
Friend zone.

There's no reason why any one person cannot be friendzoned by another person to whom they are attracted. I have friendzoned women. I've even friendzoned a man or two. Every person has the right to decide the maximum limit of a relationship. If person "A" wants the relationship at level 5 while person "B" wants it at 10, the relationship will be no higher than a 5. Person "B" can either suffer at level 5 and be friendzoned or decide that he/she can't handle being at 5 when he/she wants to be at 10 so badly so person "B"'s limit is reset to 1 or 2 in order to avoid the heartache of the friend zone.

The friend zone is what a person who wants "more than friendship" from someone experiences when that someone does not want "more than friendship" back. It can be about sex. It can be about romance. It can be about whatever, I suppose. But there is nothing inherently sexist about the term. A word can be used to convey sexist thoughts but that does not make the word sexist. That makes the originator of the thought sexist.