Format by destabilise.
Why is the term “friend
zone” so popular when the term “unrequited
love” already exists and is more accurate?
I suspect it’s because it shifts the locus of
responsibility. “Unrequited love” focuses on the
person who has the crush. The feelings being discussed are the
crushing person’s, thus the responsibility in on them to
get over their crush and move on. “Friend zone”, on
the other hand, focuses on the crush object’s choices.
The phrase erases the agency of the crushing person. All blame
for their pain is put on the crush object. “Unrequited
love” is something that can happen to both sexes, but
“friend zone” is a sexist concept that implies that
women are solely responsible for men’s happiness, and not
men themselves.