Women's Choice in Netflix's 'The Witcher'
Henry Cavill with long hair, squeezed into leather pants… where do I sign up? Don't lecture me on male objectification because Netflix knee exactly what they were doing when they had a man with a cut such as Cavill, wiggle his way into some high-waisted breeches and a loose, open-to-the-navel shirt. And it worked.
That said, I also found myself very interested in the female characters, specifically Yennefer and Ciri. In particular, the question of choice and how it is so often stripped from women in pop culture, and masquerades as a lack of when it comes to men.
Let me try to explain. We see the great Geralt of Rivia striding about towns and grand swaths of countryside, wielding a sword, being a badass. Although he would argue that because of how Witchers are created, he had no choice but to live this life.
And granted, he did not. Arguably the main motivation, biologically, for any male creature is to continue its bloodline, to guarantee his DNA is passed on to the next generation. A Witcher cannot procreate.
Yennefer is dealt a crueler hand. She is old enough to understand what she must sacrifice to become more powerful as a mage (and the fact that she had to become "pretty" to do so as well… that is a whole other discussion). Essentially they perform a kind of hysterectomy in exchange for a mage to ascend.
You could say that she had a choice. She didn't have to go through with it. She could have stayed disfigured, "ugly", lowly Yennefer and spent a life in service to either the establishment she was apprenticed to, or go home and be subject to bullying and harassment for the rest of her life.
How dare they promise young girls the power they deserve to overcome a vicious patriarchy, show them how, let them feel it, and then say "but yeah, we're gonna need your womb".
How is that a choice?
Guaranteed this was divined by some bloke in a robe.
As for Ciri, she didn't even have a chance. When Geralt claims the Law of Surprise in exchange for saving a noble person's life he sets in motion a whole plethora of destiny-ridden things. All of which revolve around the unborn child, Ciri.
Ciri, as a young girl, is lied to, secreted away, denied the truth of her destiny and in doing so she builds a false identity, without realising it. When destiny finally decides it is time, she is unprepared and terrified. It's a miracle she makes it out of that citadel alive, really.
For the princess, however, there is hope that she can reclaim her power, and also in doing so, reclaim her self.
Yennefer? I'm not au fait with the Witcher narrative, or whether the Netflix show will continue true to it or take a different path. But it feels too late for her. She has consistently been let down by men (and some women), and she has been betrayed in the most disgusting way. Why should there be anything left but rage and fire?
(This song will not leave me alone…)
I really wish pop culture would stop making a woman's choice so deeply triggering. Men like Geralt, they too have to sacrifice their chance at fatherhood, but they still remain strong and desirable and of worth. Whereas young women like Yennefer and Ciri are quickly cast aside.
See: Eithne and the women with all the power but are forced to hide in a forest.
It will be interesting to see how their storylines continue to unfold. But I'm not enamoured with how they began.
Written by Sarah
