Quote from: amber roskamp on April 29, 2015, 10:22:47 PM
yes that is definitely a thing....
So, the "friend-zoning" issue is a complicated one to break down. It can happen because of the other person's expectations, your interactions, or often a combination of both. Like I said, I don't know how much or how often this has influenced my current singleness, but I suspect that it has had at least some affect. In my case, because I grew up surrounded by women, and because I'm a very vocal feminist, I tend not to sexualize women I know until they have indicated an interest in me. My mind is just conditioned not to go there. It doesn't mean that I don't flirt (clearly, I will...) or that I don't experience aesthetic or intellectual attraction (I do), but there's a difference between flirtation and attraction and sexualization. For someone like me who is hardwired to connect with as a person first and pursue secondarily, it generates a lag-time that appears to facilitate the "friend-zoning." In your case, Amber, this could also be an artifact of you being a woman; I've heard from a number of lesbian/bi/pan women that they often get stuck in the "girlfriends" zone when they're wanting a romantic relationship just because of the process of getting to know someone resulting in feelings of mutual identification, etc.
I'm sure that you'll find someone, though so, don't give up, and don't go the "hook-up" route if it's not what you're wanting. You deserve to have the kind of relationship it seems that you're looking for so, don't settle for less.
Stay positive!