The smartass part of me says, "Not if you do it right." 

The professional part of me points to the National Women's Martial Arts Federation empowerment-model (in which I was certified) and the professional Core Competencies (which I co-authored.) 

But my colleague Susan Schorn--author of Smile at Strangers and the Bitchslap column at McSweeneys--goes to the mat on this topic in a gorgeous, impassioned long-form essay at The Hairpin. I'm proud to have been part of the conversation leading up to this great piece and to be quoted throughout on my thoughts about self-defense.