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There is a groundswell of support behind acclaimed star Catherine Zeta-Jones after she encountered criticism across platforms over her looks at a recent high-profile function.

Zeta-Jones attended a Netflix event in LA recently where an online segment featuring her part in the new series of Wednesday was eclipsed due to remarks focusing on her looks.

A Chorus of Defence

Aged 58, Laura White, labelled the backlash "utter foolishness", noting that "males escape such a timeline which women face".

"Males escape this expiration date imposed on women," stated the pageant winner.

Writer and commentator Sali Hughes, 50, said in contrast to men, women were subject to unfair scrutiny as they age and the actor deserves to be free to look however she liked.

The Social Media Storm

In the video, which was also posted on Facebook and had over 2.5 million views, the actor, who is from Mumbles, Swansea, discussed how much she enjoyed portraying her role, the Addams Family matriarch, in the latest season.

Yet a large portion of the hundreds of comments centered on her age and were disparaging towards her appearance.

This criticism sparked widespread defence of Zeta-Jones, featuring a popular post online which declared: "You bully females for having treatments and criticize them for not having enough."

Online users came to her defence, one stating: "It's called ageing naturally and she appears stunning."

Many labelled her as "gorgeous" and "so pretty", with another adding that "she appears her age - that is reality."

A Statement Arrival

The winner attended at the studio earlier makeup-free as a demonstration and to demonstrate there was no set "mold" of how a female of a certain age is supposed to look.

As with others in her demographic, she said she "maintains her wellbeing" not to appear younger but to feel "well" and appear "vibrant".

"Getting older represents an honour and when we live as well as possible, that's what really matters," she added.

Ms White stated that males are not held to equivalent beauty standards, noting "nobody scrutinizes the age of Tom Cruise, George Clooney or Tom Jones are - they just are described as 'wonderful'."

She explained that became one of the reasons behind her participation in the competition for women over 45, to prove that midlife women continue to exist" and "possess it".

A Fundamental Problem

Sali Hughes, an author and presenter from Wales, commented that although the actor is "beautiful" this is "irrelevant", noting she should be free to look as she wishes without her age facing scrutiny.

She said the social media vitriol showed that no female is "exempt" and that females should not face the "ongoing theme" suggesting they are insufficient or of the right age - a problem that is "maddening, regardless of the individual targeted".

Asked if men face equivalent judgment, she said "no, never", noting women were attacked merely for showing "audacity" to live online while growing older.

A Double Bind

Regardless of cosmetic companies advocating for "age-defiance", Hughes said females are still judged whether they aged gracefully or opted for procedures like cosmetic surgery or injectables.

"If you age gracefully, others claim you ought to try harder; if you undergo work done, people say you not aging gracefully enough," she remarked further.