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But turning to the dark side changed his physical appearance. Most notably his eyes, which became yellow (a very typical Sith transformation in many species)

And while I know that Wookies are not supposed to be able to be force sensitive and therefore cannot become Jedi or Sith, all I am saying is that

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Yennefer of Vengerberg is a woman whose storyline was placed front and center from the second episode and given parallel importance with the titular male character.

Yennefer is a character who is fearless, powerful, ambitious and selfish in equal measures, all of which are traits we rarely see in female characters period, and the narrative (and the lead male character) treat these traits generally as ones to be celebrated rather than decried.

Yennefer is a character who is given so much story beyond her relationship to the male character that when she has a moment where she has to think back to all of the painful and infuriating things that have been said to her, he never crosses her mind.

Yennefer is a character who owns her sexuality both before and after her transformation and her relationship with the lead male character is primarily on her own terms.  (And the part that isn’t on her terms: the wish, is something that she gets rightfully angry about.  And at no point does the narrative try to say that she made the wrong decision there.)

Yennefer is a character who is dressed according to female power fantasies.  Her gowns are wildly designed, with crazy arches and sleeves, and they look fabulous but also very much in line with what a woman would choose as opposed to a man.  And while sometimes she is nude, it’s always plot relevant and not presented in an objectifying or dehumanizing way.  

Yennefer is a woman of color in a leading role in a fantasy drama that is both helmed and penned by women.  (The original books are written by a man, sure, but the teleplay was written by a woman.  The showrunner is a woman.)

her first love scene with istredd is BEFORE her transformation! i don’t think i’ve ever seen a disabled woman on TV get to express her sexuality like that before! her hunchback isn’t hidden, either, it’s right in the center of the frame. both of their faces and bodies are the focus, as opposed to the camera lingering on her breasts and ass, and ignoring the male actor’s body completely, like so many other shows and movies. it’s equality!

her transformation scene is the FURTHEST from sexy. and sadly they could have made it sexy, so many shows do fetishize scenes of violence against women (having actresses scream prettily, make the “O” face, positioning their bodies provocatively, pointing their toes, etc). but once again, the camera never centers on her breasts, but on her face. her screaming and struggling is ugly and authentic. her nudity only added to the discomfort of the scene, with her feet in stirrups evoking an OBGYN visit or childbirth, not sex. 

in the bath scene, all glimpses of her tits and ass are super brief, off center, moving, never posed… as opposed to the long AND very centered shots of geralt titties.

yennefer’s longest tits out scene with the djinn ritual is interesting, because while her chest is occasionally centered in frame…  jaskier’s reaction is super telling! he doesn’t acknowledge her nudity at all! (especially as a hypersexual comedic character who in a lesser show would be drooling over her!) instead he reacts purely to her “devilish eyes” and the painted amphora and the knife in her hands. she’s not treated by either the camera or by jaskier as a sexual object, but as a threat.

in the ritual scene proper, she’s allowed to be sweaty and strident and red-eyed (which if you ask me is very sexy, but i’m not a man). it might not be a fertility ritual, exactly, but since it’s her womb she’s trying to regain, having her breasts out could be symbolic of her potential motherhood that she’s vying for, as opposed to just titillation (ha). it’s also a call back to her transformation scene.

in every sex scene with geralt, they’re both clothed. which is weird for the main romance! like, really weird. so no nudity, no male gaze. (i wonder why though? maybe they wanted to visually indicate how closed off geralt and yennefer are with each other at first, not wanting the vulnerability of nakedness. plus i think we’re meant to take that their hookups are extremely rushed and spontaneous.) once they’re finally naked together, she’s turned away/wearing a modesty blanket, while he’s got his chest and thighs out, and they’re just talking. 

in short… male gaze where?? yennefer of vengerberg might be literally the only female character i’ve ever seen that’s been actually empowered while nude. a male-led production could never. 

Meanwhile, The Witcher doesn’t do that.

Magic takes effort.

Yennefer doesn’t always have to look like a model, she’s allowed to be a person.