Elizabeth Wurtzel

About the author: Elizabeth Wurtzel is the author of several books exploring women's issues, including Prozac Nation and Bitch: In Praise of Difficult Women, from which this viewpoint was selected.

Some women enjoy rough sexual activity and fantasize about being raped and beaten by men. These feelings do not indicate that most women want to be physically abused; rather, they demonstrate that sex contains dark impulses that may inexplicably flare up in heterosexual relationships. Contemporary feminism is concerned with eradicating these dark impulses by instituting dating codes such as "no means no," but sex is inherently dangerous. The mixed messages women give off during dating rituals are no excuse for date rape, but women should understand that flirtation and a few drinks can turn suddenly violent.

In an Esquire column from 1972, reprinted in her...