It's not my article. I'm not sure where the term came from either. To your point, I also don't know when being friend-zoned became a criticism of the women. Women who friend-zone men are typically doing so because they are empathetic (i.e. letting him down easy). Women should not feel bad about that. Some women have been known to take advantage of men in the friend zone, using their influence to extract favors (I know, not all women). However, men are equally, if not more, to blame for putting themselves in that situation. This is one of the reasons men may often choose to suspend or end the friendship, in order to preserve their dignity.