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Women are rallying behind acclaimed star Catherine Zeta-Jones after she faced disparaging remarks on social media about her looks at a recent red carpet function.

The actor was present at a Netflix event in Los Angeles last month where a social media clip discussing her part in season two of the 'Wednesday' show was eclipsed due to comments about her looks.

Widespread Backing

This year's Miss Great Britain Classic winner, Laura White, called the negative reaction "complete nonsense", stating that "men don't have this expiration date that women do".

"Men don't have such a timeline that women do," argued Laura White.

Writer and commentator aged 50, Sali Hughes, stated in contrast to men, females are subject to unfair scrutiny as they age and the actor deserves to be at liberty to appear however she liked.

Digital Backlash

Within the clip, also shared to Facebook and garnered over 2.5 million views, the actor, hailing from Swansea, discussed how much she enjoyed delving into her role, the Addams Family matriarch, in season two.

Yet a significant number of the numerous remarks focused on her age and were critical towards her appearance.

The negative remarks ignited widespread defence for Zeta-Jones, such as a widely-shared clip online which said: "You bully women for having treatments and bully them for not having enough."

Commenters also spoke up for her, as one put it: "It's called ageing naturally and she looks gorgeous."

Some called her as "gorgeous" and "so pretty", and one comment read that "she looks her age - which is simply life."

Making a Point

She appeared for her interview earlier makeup-free to make a statement and to highlight there was no set "blueprint" of how a woman of a certain age is supposed to look.

As with others of her years, she explained she "takes care of herself" not to appear younger but so she feels "improved" and appear "healthy".

"Growing older is a privilege and when we live gracefully, that's what truly counts," she continued.

Ms White stated that men were not judged by identical beauty standards, adding "people don't ask the age of famous men are - they only look 'fantastic'."

She explained that became one of the reasons behind her participation in the competition for over-45s, to prove that midlife women continue to exist" and "retain their appeal".

The Core Issue

The author, a writer and commentator of Welsh origin, commented that while Zeta-Jones was "gorgeous" that is "not the point", noting she deserves to be free to look as she wishes without her age being scrutinised.

She stated the digital criticism demonstrated not a single woman is "protected" and that females should not face the "constant narrative" that they are lacking or youthful enough - a situation that is "infuriating, regardless of who the victim is".

When asked if men experience the same scrutiny, she said "absolutely not", noting women were attacked just for having the "nerve" to exist online as they age.

A No-Win Situation

Despite the beauty industry advocating for "youthful longevity", Hughes said women were still judged regardless of if they grow older gracefully or opted for procedures such as cosmetic surgery or injectables.

"When a woman ages without intervention, commenters state you ought to try harder; when you have treatments, people say you failing to age well," she remarked further.