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There is a groundswell of support behind Oscar-winning actor Catherine Zeta-Jones following she faced criticism on social media about her appearance following a red carpet event.

The actor was present at a Netflix event in Hollywood recently during which a TikTok interview featuring her part in the latest the 'Wednesday' show became dominated because of comments about her age.

A Chorus of Defence

This year's Miss Great Britain Classic winner, Laura White, labelled the backlash "utter foolishness", stating that "men aren't given this expiration date which women face".

"Men don't have this expiration date which women face," stated Laura White.

Author Sali Hughes, 50, commented unlike men, women were subject to unfair scrutiny for ageing and Zeta-Jones should be free to appear as she wishes.

The Social Media Storm

Within the clip, uploaded to Facebook and had more than 2.5m views, Zeta-Jones, hailing from Swansea, talked about the pleasure of exploring her role, Morticia Addams, in the new episodes.

However a large portion of the hundreds of comments centered on her age and were critical about her looks.

This criticism ignited a broad defence of the actor, including a viral video online which said: "People criticize women for having too much work done and attack them for not having enough work."

Others also spoke up for her, one stating: "It's called growing older naturally and she is beautiful."

Others described her as "stunning" and "so pretty", and one comment read that "she appears her age - that is life."

A Statement Arrival

She appeared at the studio earlier makeup-free to "prove a point" and to show that there is no fixed "mold" of how a female of a certain age is supposed to look.

Like many women her age, she explained she "maintains her wellbeing" not for a youthful appearance but in order to feel "improved" and appear "vibrant".

"Growing older is an honour and when we age as well as possible, that is what is important," she continued.

She argued that men were not held to identical aesthetic benchmarks, stating "nobody scrutinizes the age of Tom Cruise, George Clooney or Tom Jones might be - they just look 'fantastic'."

She said it was one of the reasons for entering Miss Great Britain's category for women over 45, in order to demonstrate that women in midlife are still here" and "retain their appeal".

The Core Issue

Sali Hughes, an author and presenter from Wales, said that while Zeta-Jones was "gorgeous" that is "irrelevant", adding she ought to be able to appear as she wishes without her age coming under examination.

She stated the digital criticism proved that no female is "exempt" and that it is unfair for women to endure the "constant narrative" that they are not good enough or of the right age - a problem that is "galling, no matter the individual targeted".

When asked if men face identical criticism, she responded "no, never", explaining females are criticized merely for showing "audacity" to be present on social media while aging.

A No-Win Situation

Despite the wellness sector promoting "longevity", she commented females are still judged whether they aged naturally or underwent treatments including surgical procedures or injectables.

"If you age naturally, others claim more could be done; when you have treatments, you are criticized for trying too hard," she concluded.