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Women are rallying behind acclaimed star Zeta-Jones following she was targeted by criticism online over her appearance following a high-profile event.

Zeta-Jones attended a Netflix event in Hollywood on 9 November where a TikTok interview about her character in season two of Wednesday was eclipsed due to remarks about her age.

Widespread Backing

This year's Miss Great Britain Classic winner, Laura White, described the backlash "utter foolishness", adding that "men don't have such a timeline that women do".

"Men don't have this sell-by/use-by date imposed on women," stated Laura White.

Author aged 50, Sali Hughes, said unlike men, women were criticized growing older and the actor deserves to be at liberty to appear in any way she chooses.

Digital Backlash

Within the clip, uploaded to social media and had over 2.5 million views, Zeta-Jones, originally from Swansea, talked about how much she enjoyed portraying her character, the Addams Family matriarch, in season two.

But a large portion of the numerous remarks centered on her years and were disparaging towards her looks.

This criticism sparked a broad defence for Zeta-Jones, such as a popular post online which declared: "People criticize females when they get cosmetic procedures and criticize them for not having enough."

Commenters also spoke up for her, as one put it: "She is aging naturally and she is beautiful."

Many labelled her as "stunning" and "so pretty", and one comment read that "she appears her age - that is reality."

A Statement Arrival

The winner attended for her interview earlier makeup-free to "prove a point" and to highlight that there is no fixed "blueprint" of how a female of a certain age ought to appear.

Like many women her age, she stated she "maintains her wellbeing" not to look younger but to feel "better" and appear "vibrant".

"Ageing is a privilege and when we do it as well as possible, this is what really matters," she continued.

She argued that men aren't subject to equivalent appearance ideals, noting "nobody scrutinizes how old famous men might be - they simply appear 'great'."

She explained it was one of the reasons behind her participation in the competition for women over 45, in order to demonstrate that females of a certain age are still here" and "still have it".

The Core Issue

Hughes, a journalist from Wales, commented that while Zeta-Jones was "gorgeous" it was "beside the point", noting she ought to be able to look however she liked without her age being scrutinised.

Hughes argued the social media vitriol proved no woman was "exempt" and that females should not face the "constant narrative" that they are lacking or youthful enough - a situation that is "maddening, irrespective of the individual targeted".

When asked if males encounter equivalent judgment, she responded "absolutely not", adding women were targeted merely for showing "audacity" to exist online while growing older.

An Impossible Standard

Regardless of cosmetic companies promoting "age-defiance", Hughes said women were still judged if they age naturally or underwent treatments like cosmetic surgery or fillers.

"When a woman ages gracefully, people say more could be done; when you have procedures, you're accused of failing to age well," she concluded.