On one hand it makes sense that medieval european social relations imply, well, medieval european social relations and it makes sense to use your novel (or your show) to examine those.
On the other I can relate to many people wanting to see women in medieval fantasy to be represented in some other way than constant misery porn.
Why wouldn’t melanin levels correspond to distance from the equator?
It’s not like GRRM makes a secret out of doing this, he’s talked about it a ton in interviews how the plot of GoT is loosely based off the War of the Roses and that Westeros is England but bigger.
Not saying he's like, racist about it per se. Just that he's uncreative.