Zoomers won't understand but I'm old so let me break it down

At the time, in the minds of people with online opinions, A&F was still associated with high school jocks, and it was right around the time when "nerd" had become firmly cemented as a thing people want to be. So backlash against all things jock was a way to virtue signal. They were an easy, non-controversial target to criticize. Yes there was a thing where they only hired super ripped muscle men models but that wasn't really what the general public backlash was reacting to. It was more a final attempt at jock culture to stand up for itself, and consensus basically rejecting that attempt.

If it had been a high fashion brand associated with runway models, very few people would have cared, because most people don't know a runway model or have much interest in runway fashion. But most people had some direct personal experience with both jocks and A&F, and there was something to be gained, socially, by claiming you had been their target in high school, just like the cool rich guys in silicon valley.

If you have any other questions about life before zoomers, please do not hesitate to ask.