If Loving Them Is Wrong, Why Do So Many Women Go for Bad Boys?

Jan. 2, 2007 — -- "If Loving You Is Wrong, I Don't Wanna Be Right."

That tune must be among the most-played songs on Kate Moss' iPod.

That's because the supermodel joins Whitney Houston, Kate Hudson, Pamela Anderson, Britney Spears and other high-profile female stars who just can't seem to resist the lure of the bad boy, whether he's a drug-addled mess or a libidinous horn dog.

Despite the pleas from dozens of friends and her own attempts to jettison the relationship, Moss jumped back on the bandwagon last week, vacationing with heroin-addicted rocker Pete Doherty and reportedly marrying him in a secret ceremony on a beach in Thailand.

The 32-year-old supermodel, wearing flowers in her hair, apparently exchanged vows with 27-year-old Doherty, who had to get permission from his probation officer to make the trip, since he is under a two-year court supervision for drug offenses.

For Moss, who is reportedly worth at least $25 million and graces the covers of glamorous magazines around the world, it seems like a match made in hell. Doherty, who has a son from a previous relationship, has a lengthy rap sheet for crimes that range from possession of heroin and crack cocaine to stealing cars to assaulting and punching bandmates and paparazzi.

So, what's the appeal of this bad boy? What drives successful independent women into the arms of degenerate losers?

"It's very sexy," said relationship counselor Marilyn Graman. "Some women thrive on that tension, that continuing pump up of adrenaline that comes from being with a bad boy. It gets to be very boring when someone does what you like all the time."

Sometimes the women start to emulate their beau's bad behavior. Last year Moss was caught on tape apparently snorting cocaine with Doherty. After the photos hit the front pages, several high-profile retailers dropped her. (She eventually rebounded and is now earning the most money she's ever made in her career.)

Whitney Houston had a reputation as a churchgoing good girl when she married Bobby Brown, the anger-prone singer, in 1992. In subsequent years, Brown was arrested for drug violations, raping an underage prostitute, driving while intoxicated, sexual battery and urinating on a car.