Ladies Stand For the Oscar-Winning Actor Amidst Age-Related Criticism

There is a groundswell of support for Oscar-winning actor Zeta-Jones following she encountered criticism online about her appearance following a high-profile event.

Zeta-Jones attended a promotional function in Los Angeles recently during which a social media clip discussing her character in the new series of Wednesday was overshadowed due to discussion about her looks.

Voices of Support

This year's Miss Great Britain Classic winner, Laura White, described the negative reaction "absolute rubbish", adding that "males escape this expiration date that women do".

"Males escape this expiration date imposed on women," argued Laura White.

Beauty journalist aged 50, Sali Hughes, commented unlike men, females are unfairly judged as they age and she ought to be free to appear as she wishes.

Digital Backlash

Within the clip, which was also posted on social media and attracted more than 2.5m views, Zeta-Jones, who is from Mumbles, Swansea, discussed how much she enjoyed exploring her role, the Addams Family matriarch, in the latest season.

Yet a significant number of the hundreds of comments focused on her years and were negative towards her appearance.

The negative remarks triggered a broad defence of Zeta-Jones, such as a popular post from a social media user which declared: "People criticize women for having treatments and bully them for not having enough work."

Commenters also came to her defence, with one writing: "She is ageing naturally and she looks beautiful."

Others described her as "stunning" and "so pretty", while someone else said that "she looks her age - that is the natural process."

Challenging Perceptions

The winner attended on air recently without any makeup to make a statement and to highlight that there is no fixed "blueprint" of how a woman of a certain age should look like.

Like many women of her years, she said she "takes care of herself" not for a youthful appearance but in order to feel "well" and appear "vibrant".

"Growing older is an honour and when we do it gracefully, this is what truly counts," she stated further.

She argued that men aren't held to equivalent beauty standards, stating "no-one questions the age of famous men are - they only appear 'great'."

She said that became a key factor behind her participation in Miss Great Britain's category for women over 45, to prove that females of a certain age are still here" and "still have it".

The Core Issue

Hughes, a writer and commentator of Welsh origin, stated that while Zeta-Jones was "gorgeous" it was "not the point", stating further she ought to be able to appear in any way she chooses absent her years being scrutinised.

She said the digital criticism showed that no female is "exempt" and that women do not deserve the "perpetual story" suggesting they are insufficient or of the right age - a problem that is "galling, no matter the person involved".

Asked if men experience identical criticism, she responded "not at all", explaining women were criticized simply for demonstrating the "nerve" to be present on the internet as they age.

A Double Bind

Despite cosmetic companies emphasizing "age-defiance", Hughes said women were still judged regardless of if they grow older naturally or underwent treatments like plastic surgery or injections.

"If you age without intervention, commenters state you should do more; if you get treatments, people say you not aging gracefully enough," she concluded.