Everyone has seen that one friend duo that’s a little too close. But, do you automatically assume that they are more than friends? From friends groups to sports teams, flirting runs rampant at Arcata High School.
Friend flirting has in recent years been normalized, it’s more like giving a compliment now. Junior Flora Shaw said flirting with your friends is only frowned upon if you’re really sad and don’t have many friends, because then you wouldn’t get it. “I think it should be encouraged,” Shaw said.
It might be a bromance, two girls, boy and girl besties, or whatever combination. The consensus was that friend flirting is fine and it’s okay to do. But, if it is with the same sex you might run the risk of getting called gay, as people nowadays accuse you of being gay from flirting. These accusations don’t seem to bother the students at Arcata High. “I accept [the allegations] with open arms,” Shaw said.
Some guys are very secure in their bromance, but it can be different for other guys. Some guys either don’t flirt or are less comfortable with it. “Girls receive flirting in a more fun way,” Shaw said, while “guys get quiet and uncomfortable.”
In addition to that, “Girls get called lesbians more than guys get called gay,” junior Ollie Ebert said.
When you are gay, it is a lot harder to figure out when to flirt. It is a lot less common for gay people to flirt with each other. It isn’t a big risk to flirt with your friends, because both people know it is all in good fun and there are no real feelings.
“If you know they’re gay it’s different,” Nallia Meyer said. “I don’t [flirt with my friends], but they flirt with me. But, I don’t want to make them uncomfortable,” Meyer said when talking about her straight friends.
When talking about gay guys, they had a similar consensus. When asked if they flirt with their gay friends, senior Nicholas Cunningham said, “No, I’d rather die.”
So, weirdly everyone agreed that they don’t flirt with any potential love interests and are more comfortable flirting with their platonic friends. If you see two people flirting, holding hands, or hanging out you should not assume they are a couple. It is most likely a scenario of friendship flirting. So, next time you overhear a freaky comment in the hallway, assume they are besties.
