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Women are rallying in defence of Oscar-winning actor Catherine Zeta-Jones following she faced disparaging remarks online over her looks following a industry appearance.

The actor was present at a Netflix event in Los Angeles on 9 November where a TikTok interview featuring her part in the new series of Wednesday became dominated because of comments focusing on her looks.

A Chorus of Defence

This year's Miss Great Britain Classic winner, Laura White, described the backlash "absolute rubbish", adding that "men aren't given this sell-by/use-by date imposed on women".

"Men don't have this expiration date which women face," argued the pageant winner.

Author Sali Hughes, 50, stated in contrast to men, females are criticized as they age and the actor deserves to be at liberty to appear in any way she chooses.

Online Reaction

Within the clip, uploaded to social media and garnered over 2.5 million views, Zeta-Jones, originally from Mumbles, Swansea, talked about how much she enjoyed delving into her part, the Addams Family matriarch, in the latest season.

But a large portion of the hundreds of comments zeroed in on her years and were disparaging about her appearance.

The negative remarks ignited a broad defence for the actor, featuring a viral video online which said: "People criticize females for having treatments and bully them when they don't have enough work."

Others also spoke up for her, as one put it: "This is growing older naturally and she is stunning."

Some called her as "gorgeous" and "so pretty", while someone else said that "she appears her age - that's called the natural process."

A Statement Arrival

Ms White arrived for her interview earlier makeup-free as a demonstration and to highlight that there is no fixed "mold" of how a woman in her 50s should look like.

Similar to numerous females in her demographic, she explained she "takes care of herself" not to look younger but in order to feel "better" and look "in good health".

"Ageing is a gift and provided we age as well as possible, that's what really matters," she continued.

She argued that men aren't subject to the same aesthetic benchmarks, adding "nobody scrutinizes how old famous men might be - they only are described as 'great'."

She explained this was one of the reasons she entered the competition the classic category, in order to demonstrate that midlife women continue to exist" and "possess it".

The Core Issue

The author, an author and presenter from Wales, commented that although Zeta-Jones was "stunning" it was "not the point", noting she deserves to be free to look as she wishes without her age facing scrutiny.

She stated the social media vitriol demonstrated no woman was "protected" and that females should not face the "perpetual story" that they are lacking or of the right age - an issue that is "maddening, irrespective of the person involved".

Questioned on whether males encounter identical criticism, she responded "absolutely not", explaining women were attacked just for showing "boldness" to exist on the internet as they age.

A Double Bind

Even with cosmetic companies advocating for "age-defiance", Hughes said females are still criticised whether they aged without intervention or opted for procedures like plastic surgery or fillers.

"When a woman ages gracefully, others claim you should do more; if you get procedures, you are criticized for trying too hard," she remarked further.