I wouldn't describe myself as a fan of Maria; I think she's usually OK though she can admittedly be annoying at times. However, I often defend her because I think she gets an unwarranted level of vitriol - especially double-standards about her sex life.
I'd defend any female character from scathing comments stating that she should keep her knickers on etc - especially when the men involved are behaving worse and are escaping similar condemnation.