Why do girls... Draft
Why do girls go for bad boys?
Girls that go for "bad boys" only do so when they think the bad boy is a good guy with a tough exterior. You can't tell a person's character immediately. All you have are the clues that they present during your interactions. So when a guy is rough around the edges or comes across as antisocial, but opens up when they're alone and reveals he has a heart of gold, it's that heart of gold that she's interested in, not the leather jacket. Of course it is possible to fake being a good person - just as it's possible to fake being a bad person.
Relationships with bad boys never work, so why do it more than once?
Granted, many girls get into relationships with bad boys that don't work out - because he wasn't the guy she thought he was, or because many relationships just don't work out. I won't deny that some women go for men who treat them poorly because they're recreating past abuse, because I know those women exist. They are a troubled minority, and would surely break the pattern and if they could. Cognitive behavioural therapy is an important resource in those cases. However, I would argue that relationships with bad boys can work and that possibility is what leads girls to date them.
Are there "bad girls"? What is the female equivalent of a bad boy?
I have heard women with the same characteristics as bad boys referred to as "bitchy". There is also a Japanese term, tsundere, for women who come across as cold and aloof but are revealed to be sweet on the inside once they get to know you. Some people take time to warm up to new acquaintances, but will treat you like gold once you've gotten to know each other. It is worth the wait and effort.