My sister had this assignment a while back to argue whether Daenerys was a feminist or not. She never really struck me as one seeing as she owned slaves, practically endorsed the patriarchy and cared more for her dragons than people. Interestingly, when I googled it, I found articles stating how Daenerys has become a symbol of feminism. What's your opinion?

I don't see her as a feminist nor a symbol for feminism at all.
I figure it might be because she's a female and feminine leader who doesn't let herself get pushed around.

I vaguely recall some sisterhood between her and the translator girl, but I might be mixing it up with a different show. But recalling her character and major events, she's not what I'd call a feminist or symbol of it. She's a strong female character, yes, but if that's a symbol for feminism, then I'm confused about what feminism is.

Anywho, she's more than a strong female character. Like many characters in GoT's universe, she's fairly complex and has a character arc where she changes and evolves. She's a wonderfully written character, but I really struggle to see how she personifies the ideology of feminism.

Could you link some of those articles arguing/explaining it?

This article from Vox for example:
https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/4/26/18516599/daenerys-targaryen-feminism-merch-game-of-thrones

Gave it a quick read... I disagree all the same. I do see those elements in the story, like her overcoming advertisity in part due to her femininity. Or rather, her adversity partially being exactly due to being a woman in a world where females do not rule, e.g. a boy who isn't even an adult is crowned, rather than the widowed queen.

However, those are - in my estimation - subpoints in her overarching story. Her story as I've seen it is not "I am a woman and you will respect me", rather, it is "By my birthright, I shall rule" - her personal ambition and drives setting her on the path that on one hand makes her free slaves and on the other burn men alive.

The contradictions in her character and her moral ambiguity as she always aims towards ruling as her ultimate goal. Those are what makes her character strong, interesting... And relatable. The parts of her story like her womb being rendered barren, literally having the title "mother of dragons", her initial weakness, etc... They are obviously a part of her story too. I just don't see these as being the dominant trait of her or her story. I think reducing her to that makes for a rather boring character. The core of Daenerys' character lies elsewhere.

Like I mentioned before, many of the characters have a lot going on that is more subtle than their explicit actions and circumstances. It's what made the show so great and fun to watch. Because of how excellently the world was built. It was so easy to suspend your disbelief as you watched the show because of it portraying characters that felt very real. Daenerys is no exception, but I think feminism is being superimposed on her character, rather than being a point of her character or her story.

Lot's of people argue she is simply because of today's society, who is playing her and how the show is written.  My knowledge of GoT is limited to the books.  I haven't watched a lick of the show yet. 

The Daenerys I know is in NO WAY shape or form a feminist.  I just don't see it at all.

Google's definition of feminism:

the advocacy of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes.

I think advocacy is the key word here. She wasn't advocating to make it a better place for women. She liked the idea of Yara (a female) ruling the Iron Islands but Daenerys wasn't actively fighting for Yara's right to be a female leader. Daenery's rejecting requests for sex/marriage in exchange for something she wanted was out of respect for herself. I wouldn't say that is feminism either. 

Quoting the sourced article:

Daenerys seeks the Iron Throne not for a son or husband, but for herself.

The person that said this has a ridiculous notion of what feminism really is. Feminism is unselfish. Feminism is about making the world a better place for others. Daenerys wanted the Iron Throne for no reason other than it was her right. Everything else was secondary.

In my opinion, Daenerys was a strong woman but she was, in no way, a feminist. Moral of the story... a strong woman does not make a feminist. Feminism is an intention not an outcome.

Lot's of people argue she is simply because of today's society, who is playing her and how the show is written.  My knowledge of GoT is limited to the books.  I haven't watched a lick of the show yet. 

The Daenerys I know is in NO WAY shape or form a feminist.  I just don't see it at all.

I've watched the show through season 7 and haven't even opened the books. I don't see her in any way as a feminist, nor is her story a tale of feminism. Nor is she a humanist. She's far from all of these. Her story has elements that fit in with all of the aforementioned, but her story and character do not in any way embody any of them.

Daeny was just a strong independent woman. That is only a small part of the feminism movement. Don't see much of it further in the show, so nah. Let's just watch a good show with a crappy ending and forget all the drama of real life for a bit