What’s With The Dislike Towards Summons?

Genuine question: what’s with the heat around summons in Elden Ring?
I’ve completed Elden Ring multiple times and finished the DLC twice. On my first playthrough, I usually tried bosses solo first and only used summons when I felt stuck or frustrated. On later runs, I went back and beat many of those same bosses without summons at all.

So I’ve experienced both sides of the game, and I’m not using summons as a “crutch”

I’m just using tools the game gives created by the developers to be USED. That’s like saying using the buffs is cheating because that’s not your real level power from sweating levels out it just makes you stronger.

What confuses me is the idea that using summons somehow invalidates a playthrough. The game clearly designs them as an option, not an exploit. For me, pushing through everything solo at all costs actually made the game less enjoyable at times, to the point where I had to take breaks for weeks just to reset. Which made me dislike the game until I beat that boss.

At the end of the day, I’d rather enjoy the game I paid for than force myself into a version of it I don’t enjoy just to meet someone else’s rules.

So why is there still such a strong “no summons = real completion” mindset in parts of the community?