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There is a groundswell of support for acclaimed star Catherine Zeta-Jones following she encountered criticism on social media regarding her looks during a high-profile event.

She appeared at a promotional function in LA on 9 November during which a TikTok interview discussing her part in the new series of Wednesday was overshadowed by comments focusing on her looks.

Widespread Backing

Aged 58, Laura White, labelled the backlash "complete nonsense", noting that "males escape this expiration date imposed on women".

"Men don't have this expiration date imposed on women," argued Ms White.

Author Sali Hughes, 50, said in contrast to men, females are unfairly judged as they age and the actor deserves to be able to look as she wishes.

Digital Backlash

During the interview, uploaded to Facebook and garnered more than 2.5m views, Zeta-Jones, who is from Wales, discussed the pleasure of delving into her role, the Addams Family matriarch, in the latest season.

Yet a large portion of the numerous remarks centered on her years and were negative regarding her appearance.

The negative remarks sparked widespread defence for Zeta-Jones, such as a viral video from one Facebook user which stated: "There is criticism for females when they get too much work done and criticize them if they avoid enough."

Others also spoke up for her, as one put it: "This is aging naturally and she is gorgeous."

Others described her as "stunning" and "so pretty", while someone else said that "she looks her age - which is simply reality."

Challenging Perceptions

Ms White arrived for her interview recently with a bare face to make a statement and to show that there is no fixed "blueprint" of how a female of a certain age should look like.

Similar to numerous females in her demographic, she said she "takes care of herself" not for a youthful appearance but in order to feel "well" and look "healthy".

"Growing older is a gift and when we do it gracefully, that's what truly counts," she stated further.

She contended that men aren't held to identical beauty standards, adding "people don't ask the age of Tom Cruise, George Clooney or Tom Jones are - they simply look 'wonderful'."

Ms White noted this was part of the motivation behind her participation in the pageant's division the classic category, to prove that midlife women remain relevant" and "possess it".

The Core Issue

Hughes, a writer and commentator from Wales, said that while Zeta-Jones was "gorgeous" that is "beside the point", noting she deserves to be free to look in any way she chooses free from her years being scrutinised.

She stated the digital criticism showed not a single woman is "exempt" and that it is unfair for women to endure the "ongoing theme" suggesting they are not good enough or youthful enough - a problem that is "galling, no matter the person involved".

Asked if men experience the same scrutiny, she said "not at all", noting women were criticized merely for demonstrating the "audacity" to be present on social media while growing older.

An Impossible Standard

Despite the beauty industry advocating for "age-defiance", Hughes said females are still judged if they age gracefully or opted for procedures including surgical procedures or injections.

"If you age without intervention, others claim you ought to try harder; when you have procedures, people say you not aging gracefully enough," she remarked further.