"Aerith is weak in battle" they said.

[Mirage]

They say that because she is. Give anyone else similar gear and they'll run circles around her.

Ah but you see, you can get the Umbrella the very first time you go to the Golden Saucer, EVERY other power weapon is either right before you enter the Temple of the Ancients or in the Temple itself.

Besides, I wasn't arguing that there aren't better choices I was arguing that it IS possible to have her as a physical attacker, which is undeniably true.

Edit: I have given the same setup to Tifa (who you will notice is 7 levels above Aerith) I have her most powerful weapon available to me at this time and this is the result:

She is momentarily a bit more powerful than the rest. It's a temporary anomaly, not the standard mode of operation. Isn't the parasol also the item you get from the rail shooter? Terrible controls. Never want to do that again.

Of course she can be a physical attacker. Anyone can be. That doesn't mean she isn't weak. Weak is a relative term, and she is weak compared to many others.