Being friends with someone of the opposite gender might be one of the more difficult feats teenagers and 20-somethings accomplish. There are all sorts of messy labels put on today’s relationships that make it really difficult to actually JUST be friends. You can claim that you’re “just Snapchatting,” or “a thing,” or my least favorite, “friends with benefits.”
If you even try to claim that you’re just friends, you have all of your other friends, extended family, professors, and that weird cafeteria worker trying to tell you differently.
The reality is that it’s really not that hard to be only friends with someone of the other sex. (Trust me, I’ve been doing it for almost 20 years). It can be fun, too! It’s a great way to get another perspective on anything happening in your life. If you’re struggling to meet or keep friends of the opposite gender, here is a 5-step guide that should help a little.
Step 1: Meet someone that isn’t your gender.
This might be the most crucial step in the whole process. You must find some that does not have an anatomy that is similar to yours.
Note: it can be done without removing clothing. Common places of such an occurrence include, but are not limited to class, parties, dorms, or through mutual friends.
Step 2: Make conversation with the person you’ve met.
It doesn’t need to be profound or deep right away. You can literally talk about anything i.e. weather, annoying teachers, how bad the dining hall food is, etc.
However, try to steer clear of topics such as, "How far would you go with a guy” and, “Are you a virgin?” Believe it or not, these types of conversations could push you in the wrong direction.
Step 3: Continue to have contact with this person.
No, not that kind of contact. Just text, study, or hang out together. Sound a lot like dating someone? The trick is to keep the conversation, surroundings, and general vibe nonromantic. This might seem kind of difficult until you realize this person of the opposite gender isn’t all that different from the rest of your friends. Crazy, right?
Step 4: Don’t kiss/make out with/give inappropriately long hugs to this person.
Why, you ask? Well, for starters, this kind of defeats the purpose of being “just friends.” Also if you truly plan on staying just friends for a while, it might make things a little weird for a few weeks or months if your tongues have been inside each other’s mouths. So refrain from this type of behavior, please. It’s essential to staying in the friend zone.
Step 5: Repeat steps 1-4.
Who says you have to have just one friend of the opposite sex? The more, the merrier.
As you can see, being friends with the opposite sex really isn't that hard. Hopefully you feel fully equipped to go out and make some new friends!
