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Females are uniting in defence of Oscar-winning actor Catherine Zeta-Jones after she faced scrutiny on social media over her looks during a red carpet appearance.

Zeta-Jones attended a promotional function in Los Angeles recently during which a TikTok interview featuring her role in the new series of the 'Wednesday' show became dominated due to discussion about her age.

Voices of Support

Laura White, 58, labelled the online criticism "utter foolishness", noting that "men aren't given this expiration date imposed on women".

"Men don't have this sell-by/use-by date which women face," stated the pageant winner.

Author Sali Hughes, 50, stated unlike men, women were unfairly judged as they age and Zeta-Jones should be able to look as she wishes.

Online Reaction

Within the clip, also shared to Facebook and attracted over 2.5 million views, Zeta-Jones, originally from Wales, talked about the pleasure of delving into her role, the Addams Family matriarch, in season two.

However many of the online responses centered on her years and were disparaging towards her looks.

The negative remarks ignited significant support for the actor, featuring a widely-shared clip from a social media user which stated: "You bully women for having too much work done and attack them for not having enough work."

Commenters also rallied in support, with one writing: "It's called growing older naturally and she is beautiful."

Others described her as "stunning" and "so pretty", while someone else said that "her appearance reflects her years - that's called life."

Making a Point

The winner attended at the studio recently makeup-free as a demonstration and to show the absence of a "mold" for what a female in her 50s ought to appear.

Like many women of her years, she explained she "looks after herself" not to look younger but in order to feel "better" and appear "vibrant".

"Ageing is an honour and when we live gracefully, that is what really matters," she continued.

She contended that males are not judged by equivalent aesthetic benchmarks, adding "no-one questions the age of Tom Cruise, George Clooney or Tom Jones are - they only appear 'wonderful'."

Ms White noted it was a key factor for entering the competition the classic category, in order to demonstrate that midlife women continue to exist" and "possess it".

Unfair Scrutiny

Hughes, an author and presenter of Welsh origin, said that while Zeta-Jones was "gorgeous" it was "not the point", stating further she deserves to be at liberty to look in any way she chooses absent her years being scrutinised.

She stated the online abuse demonstrated not a single woman is "exempt" and that women do not deserve the "perpetual story" which says they are insufficient or young enough - an issue that is "infuriating, regardless of the individual targeted".

Asked if men face identical criticism, she answered "absolutely not", noting women were attacked merely for demonstrating the "boldness" to exist on social media while growing older.

A No-Win Situation

Even with the wellness sector promoting "age-defiance", Hughes said women were still face criticism regardless of if they grow older gracefully or opted for procedures such as surgical procedures or fillers.

"When a woman ages naturally, commenters state more could be done; when you have treatments, people say you not aging gracefully enough," she concluded.