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When Rob Reiner — may God rest his soul — created “When Harry Met Sally,” he set out to answer one crucial question: Can men and women be just friends?

It seems almost silly to ask; on the surface level, of course they can. But the underlying idea behind the question is, can a straight man and a straight woman never look at each other in a more than platonic way? Never fantasize about growing old together? Imagine what a one-night stand might be like? Even a kiss?

Here’s my take: It’s difficult, but certainly not impossible, for men and women to just be friends. But in order for that to happen, it’s up to the man in the friendship to set that boundary.

Ladies, when I initially posed this question, who’s that guy you immediately thought of? I’m almost sure there was one — and that’s my point.

Every woman I know has had a male friend in her life tell her something haunting: maybe like how she’s the best girl-SPACE-friend he’s ever had. That he wouldn’t want to go to a party if she wasn’t attending. That if they’re 40 and still single, they should just marry each other.

In the recently published op-ed “We should all stop going to the gym,” Arvind Chettiar argues that gym culture reflects a commodified, isolating version of wellness — one that prioritizes individual optimization over genuine community, and ultimately fails to address the broader loneliness epidemic.

The framing overlooks what Sophia Sachs outlined just days earlier. She detailed what resistance training actually looks like: improving cancer survivability, preventing diabetes, strengthening cardiovascular health and extending lifespan. The science is solid; read it.

To be fair, some of his critique lands. As the author points out, the loneliness epidemic is real, building community matters and the wellness industry does commodify self-care in ways worth critiquing. Those points are valid. 

But the piece makes sweeping, inflammatory claims about gyms and the people who use them that don’t hold up.