Where’s the funny? Just seems like an interaction between friends.
This is usually a sign they are being nice, they try to emphasize the boundaries twice in a complimentary way.
they are being nice…
Nah they’re trying to be nice. Honestly, to me, it reads much more like they aren’t even registering that they are a potential romantic partner who is interested in them. It also makes it seem like they were using the guy who made the playlist, which is unlikely to be the actual intent. A more straightforward rejection would be preferable. Being ignored hurts more than being rejected imo. That being said I don’t see how you could reject advances in a polite way in this situation.
Btw, have I mentioned how much I love taking funny Internet memes seriously?
Edit: I made an admittedly weird argument that wasn’t an argumented well on my part (should have been more about how it can be interpreted differently rather than it being “not nice,” whatever that means.) However I’m not a coward, so I’ll keep this up. But the argument below is kinda mental, with nothing much to be gleaned, so be warned .
Believe it or not, women are much more likely than men to have platonic friends of the “It took me a couple hours to make this Playlist for you” caliber.
Women aren’t stupid, they know what an advance looks like, but they’re also not afraid of just being friends like this. Yeah, she was definitely drawing a boundary by mentioning her boyfriend, but she was also saying “I appreciate you in a platonic way” and not just burning that bridge by telling him to fuck off.
Another reason lots of women approach this way is because outright rejection can be actually dangerous, if they see that person in their day to day life.
I personally think dropping the boyfriend card is the right move here if she’s not interested. If he knew about her boyfriend, it’s his fault for trying to get in there. If he didn’t, she’s politely letting him know she’s taken. Either way, the onus is on him to read the situation, not her to tiptoe around his feelings, and she still left the door open for friendship if he wants that.
It may not seem like it if you identify with the guy being spurned, but she is being nice.
First, there is nothing in the image that indicates that either speaker is of a certain gender.
Second, I was pointing out how it can be read as passive aggressive, not trying to say it wasn’t the best course of action. If I comment on someone’s funny video/meme/niche internet microblog, “This was unexpectedly funny!” There are both favorable and unfavorable readings of it. I was trying to be nice, it could still be interpreted validly as the opposite.
Third, I don’t identify with the sender. I have never tried to engage in romantic relationships, and I’m not interested in doing so now. It is hard to identify with someone who is interested in romantic relationships when you aren’t, but I can understand their perspective. If you have ever had a friend who is a straight guy, you can understand how they perceive social ques differently and have different expectations of communication differently than straight women.
However, I agree that this was the best course of action in the situation. Unfortunately, there isn’t a nice way of straight forwardly saying, “Hey, I recognize this romantic advance, but that’s not what I am looking for in this relationship/I am already in a committed romantic relationship.” I think your justification of your argument isn’t valid and seems more like a knee-jerk reaction to me saying something slightly against the grain.
The last playlist I made is called “What’s Pumped Up Kicks about?” And the only song in it is Kids with Guns by Gorillaz.