ABSTRACT
Sadomasochism is defended on general grounds of sexual freedom. Feminists have argued that sadomasochism is one inevitable expression of a women-hating culture. If any form of sexuality has a prima facie claim to be regarded as politically incorrect, it would surely be sadomasochism. In their enthusiasm for sexual variation, liberals ignore the extent to which a person may experience her own sexuality as arbitrary, hateful, and alien to the rest of her personality. Armed with an adequate feminist critique of sexuality and sufficient will power, any woman should be able to alter the pattern of her desires. While the feminist theory needed for this venture is known to be the product of collective effort, and while groups of women may be waiting to welcome the reformed pervert, the process of transformation is seen, nonetheless, as something a woman must accomplish alone.
