The main reason that people are so put off by the SMN aesthetic is that the class plays nothing like traditional summoners in Final Fantasy games. They weren't DoT classes, and their summons were nothing like the pets seen in FFXIV today.

SMN in Final Fantasy history has always been about massive burst damage from gigantic summoned creatures. I understand that this type of gameplay does not fit well into an MMO; however, I think the game would've been better off if they just skipped the SMN altogether. The class is nothing more than a clunky Pet/DoT class that doesn't fit well into the final fantasy universe.

I would prefer if they left the class as is, but just called it Arcanist (which is closer to what the class actually is). The class is not a summoner.