Arya and Daenerys are popular characters but to me this also doesn't really disprove the sexism? Arya is super popular because she's a badass tomboy who treats Jon like a brother and thinks feminine arts like embroidery are stupid. Daenerys is popular because she's a gorgeous Targaryen princess and (spoilers for fan theories, if you're not a book reader) a popular theory is that she'll marry Jon because they're Targaryens. So basically, I've seen "neckbeards" who like Daenerys, not as her own character, but as a sort of hot prize for Jon. Ugh. >__>