Society has reinforced that women should be passive, and even after much progress on that front in general, somehow this still applies in some people's minds.

I would guess.

No biggie though, depends what you personality traits you yourself are looking for, if being proactive is one of them, then I guess you haven't missed out 😅

And if you weren't interested and the friend is yelling at you angrily, that's mega questionable. Last I checked, no one is obligated to be interested romantically in anyone else...