A couple of additions -- your advice about the earrings is good, but even if there is no earring, nothing takes the fight out of a person better than just ripping the entire ear off. It's surprisingly easy, and it's also easy enough to reattach, although that should be the least of your concerns.

Also, if you're really in danger of losing life or limb, and the attacker's throat is open, a quick jab to the larynx will take the recipient out of commission in fairly short order. The closed fist may not be as accurate, so try jabbing with the hand in the same form as if you were going to choke the person, only make the hand very rigid, impacting the larynx on the knuckle of the index finger. Do it like you mean it, like your life depends on it because it does.

Last but not least, particularly in hard sole shoes, scraping the edge of the shoe forcefully down the shin bone can be surprisingly and incredibly painful. Not incapacitating, so run fast as you can if escape is your goal. If you're in a position to do so, i.e., on the outside of the knee, stepping up onto the side of the knee so as to collapse it under your full weight should suffice to incapacitate the attacker.

I used to teach self defense for women. Unless punches hit a vital area they may be to no avail. Many people can ride a punch in the heat of battle and don't feel a thing.

Attack the centerline: Eyes, nose, throat, solar plexis, groin. Failing that, temple, kidneys, knee. Fingers break very easily if snapped backwards and that kind of pain is hard to ignore. The main goal is to get away and a savage strike to the vitals is key if you are cornered.

Improvised weapons are excellent: keys, pen, pencil, car antenae, etc. The important thing is strike and get the hell out of there.

One particular technique that generally always works is the grab.

In most attacks of male on female, the male will try to control through grappeling. Bear hugs, head locks, arm bars, etc. The best thing to do is grab the testicles and squeeze in a desperate attempt to crush them, rip them off or just plain turn them to jelly.

He will let go of you.

all that sounds good. i'm always wondering what happens if someone is beating me up for my purse and i can't get to my gun which is inside my purse. so i should try to remember all of that you said. or if i get attacked inside the post office (have to take my gun out of my purse and leave it in the car, and after hours, i might be alone with someone in the post office), i need to know how to defend myself.