Can a woman and a man stay "just" friends forever?

[Ginger Ale 723]

14 minutes ago, FlitterFlutter said:

What does that even mean? I did not know it was even a controversial question, I thought it is pretty standard to have friends of the opposite sex.... Now I am thinking I am weird

Lol, that means can they stay just friends forever or can they start a relationship? Some of the girls and boys can't stay friends forever and they either stop talking because of interest clash or they start a romantic relationship.

[Catpone Cerberus 23,598]

Just now, Ginger Ale said:

because of interest clash

That has nothing to do with the fact they are boy and girl, that's just natural part of friendships.

[Hierok 11,831]

Yes they can, only not me. I am far to desperate for that I think. 

[Bricks_Ahoy 860]

Well, I am gonna be the odd one out and say that I never had romantic feelings towards my friends who are girls. I have been friends with a girl for 11 years, nothing romantic ever occurred and I never had a crush on her. 

[Yakamaru 3,127]

I have plenty of girl friends. Some are single because they aren't interested in a relationship. Some are already in a relationship.

A man and a woman can easily "just" be friends. It depends on the two people in question. It's usually the man finding the woman attractive or the woman falling for the man. Or both.

I have a couple gay friends who have the hots for me though, despite knowing I am straight. If I were bi I'd probably end up in a relationship with on of'em.

Edited September 5, 2017 by Yakamaru

[Nara 84]

4 hours ago, Yakamaru said:

I have a couple gay friends who have the hots for me though, despite knowing I am straight. If I were bi I'd probably end up in a relationship with on of'em.

Story of my life tho I'm the gay friend here haha! And I both have a straight friend that was into me and I myself have a crush on a straight person

[Foxy Socks 2,599]

Of course. If they other has qualities one finds attractive perhaps the relationship could shift, but it's not like everyone is attracted to everyone else. It just depends on who they are with and how both feel, that simple.

[LightningMana 146]

Only thoroughly trusting people can do that.

You have to trust your partner after they've shown you trust, and they show that trust when around their ex. 

I have a family friend cause of that lol.

[Victoria Sponge 1,017]

My boyfriend was previously just one of my friends but I still have a lot of male friends who haven't stopped being just friends and who never will. You kind of have to be friends before you go further so that you know you like each other and once you've got a boyfriend or girlfriend its pretty easy to be platonic friends with the opposite gender.

[TBD 17,254]

Well that would depend on the other person am I right? 

Edited September 14, 2017 by TBD

[honk friend 1,978]

It's a pretty unhealthy way of thinking that just because 2 people can be in love, they always should be.
Most of my friends are male and most of them respect my boundaries.

[J.J 923]

I think so, but I also think its possible to live with loyal convictions and without a title.. these things were just understood by our instinct and kind of natural standing as animals... "boyfriend" "girlfriend" "wife' "husband" are just these barrier names, when really if a connection between two "friends" is powerful enough in loyalty, it's sentiment can be more powerful than an ideological "relationship" its about our loyalty, and our view on things... I think a lot of friendships obviously escalate, and I think partnerships can deescalate, but after time things can almost be like a reintroduction... trust is the most powerful part of this, innovation, and reason, friends should at least bring companionship to one another if not any other objective purpose, but friendships between a man and woman can be more complex because of these "loyalties" that sometimes transcend a "title" but I think even the title of friend can be loosely perceived and unfortunately is as well, these are about personality conflicts, what we see and want out of each other, and where we know our feelings are setting

[Hachiroku 127]

I don't see why not. A dude and a chick can get along without any romance.

[cmarston1 5,959]

Yes, unlike what TV and movies would like you to believe, it is possible for relationships between a man and a woman to stay strictly platonic.

[Meeps 297]

@BasementSparkle @GrimGrimoire Well said.

The debate of whether guys and girls can be friends is definitely solved with a big yes, but also depends on the people involved. As some have even said in this thread, there are individuals would rather not or are incapable of being friends with the opposite sex. That's fine. But tons of people, myself included, have had friends of the opposite sex successfully. And yes, I mean hot friends of the opposite sex that are extremely attractive. So long as you both understand where the other is coming from, and respect boundaries, you're fine. For me its evident at the start of the relationship how it'll work out (I make it very clear what my intentions are so that no one is confused as to where we're headed).

Also, that last picture of Starlight and Sunburst together is too cute!  

Edited September 16, 2017 by Meeps

[StormBlaze 992]

yes but it is very very hard. if you are straight or bi, you end up being very driven to eachother because you hang out and get along, then the tension can just get overbearing and you give in. It can be one of those "what if" or "let's try it" moments. I have had it happen to me several times. Pretty much all my relationships have been with guys who have been my closest friends. Only 1 of them ended in disaster where we stopped talking and had a bad breakup. The others I still occasionally talk to but Ive moved on and enjoying current lifestyle. I do know they miss talking to me, but im worried I'll end up cheating with one of them if i let them too near. So ive friendzoned hard on them. 

Temptation, love and lust are horrible things kiddies. 

Its so much easier for a girl to have gay male friends. 

[Nerdy Luigi 2,065]

I honestly don't entirely understand why this question is even being asked.

 

Of course it is most definitely possible. Don't see how it wouldn't be... I've had plenty a few female friends, and male ones as well. Haven't had too many problems keeping either purely platonic. Though there were a couple of exceptions. One girl asked me out one time (Totally knew it was coming. She acted really weirdly around me...), and there was a boy that I was friends with (mostly through being friends with other people, and that I'm pretty sure was 100% straight) that I was fairly attracted to.

[Guest]

I don't see why not, especially if either of them are already in a committed relationship.

[pegapony 193]

This is a very funny question in a forum about freindship ? I mean arn´t everypony here in the faith of FIM ?

I would definitely say man and woman can be friends without anything more in to it.

[Nightfall Veilwing 1,138]

Yeah, men and women can be friends.

Edited December 28, 2022 by Millennium Shadow

[Sir Hugsalot 9,348]

It is rare, but it is possible as I am one of examples. One of my closest friends is a female, I've known her for abour...4 or 3 years and as friends we are pretty close to each other ^^ She actually moved to USA just week ago and I will be going there for her wedding which I am really excited about. I always cared about her a lot, but never loved her in romantic way and now I am really happy to see her long distance relationship to work out ^^ 

[Stone Cold Steve Jobs 22,440]

Yes, with proper maturity and self control.

[Varrack 1,080]

2 hours ago, Someguyinablazer said:

Yes, with proper maturity and self control.

Provided they're not attracted to each other, there wouldn't even be a need for "proper maturity and self control".

This topic just seems silly to me, as someone who completely lacks romantic/sexual attraction.

Edited October 19, 2017 by Varrack

[PinkieShadow 4,056]

On 2017-10-19 at 6:23 AM, Varrack said:

Provided they're not attracted to each other, there wouldn't even be a need for "proper maturity and self control".

This topic just seems silly to me, as someone who completely lacks romantic/sexual attraction.

Word ! I could not say it better myself.

[Peppermint Larry 203]

What about siblings that grow up to be good friends? Step-siblings? Other relatives around the same age? Relatives in different age groups? A pair of coworkers around the same age? A pair of coworkers from different age groups? In-laws? Business partners? There are so many different situations and types of relationships people can be in that does not involve romance or sex. 

What really grinds my gears is the perceived notion that men and women are different "species" that live in different "bubbles" and they only interact if they want sex. Sometimes, people have interests that fall outside of what's "acceptable" for their gender. That's why certain people hang out with the opposite gender- they can't always connect with their own kind, and this can happen without them being gay or trans. Sometimes, people hang out with each other for no reason at all other than the fact they're forced to be at the same place every day (school/work).