Ladies Stand In Support of the Oscar-Winning Actor Following Criticism Over Age Criticism

Women are rallying in defence of Oscar-winning actor Zeta-Jones after she encountered criticism across platforms regarding her looks following a industry function.

Zeta-Jones attended a Netflix event in Hollywood on 9 November where a TikTok interview featuring her role in the latest Wednesday was overshadowed because of remarks about her appearance.

Widespread Backing

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

"Men don't have this sell-by/use-by date imposed on women," said Laura White.

Beauty journalist Sali Hughes, 50, commented differently from men, females are unfairly judged as they age and the actor deserves to be at liberty to appear in any way she chooses.

Digital Backlash

During the interview, also shared to social media and had more than 2.5m views, the actor, hailing from Wales, discussed how much she enjoyed portraying her character, Morticia Addams, in the latest season.

Yet a significant number of the numerous remarks centered on her years and were negative towards her looks.

This criticism triggered widespread defence for Zeta-Jones, such as a widely-shared clip from one Facebook user which stated: "People criticize females for having cosmetic procedures and bully them when they don't have sufficient procedures."

Online users rallied in support, with one writing: "It's called ageing naturally and she appears beautiful."

Many labelled her as "gorgeous" and "lovely", while someone else said that "she looks her age - that's called life."

Making a Point

The winner attended for her interview earlier without any makeup to make a statement and to demonstrate there was no set "template" for what a female in midlife is supposed to look.

Similar to numerous females her age, she stated she "takes care of herself" not to look younger but to feel "well" and be "in good health".

"Growing older is a gift and if we can do it the best we can, this is what is important," she stated further.

She contended that males are not judged by the same aesthetic benchmarks, stating "no-one questions how old certain male celebrities might be - they simply appear 'fantastic'."

She said it was one of the reasons she entered Miss Great Britain's category the classic category, in order to demonstrate that females of a certain age remain relevant" and "still have it".

The Core Issue

Hughes, a journalist of Welsh origin, said that while Zeta-Jones was "stunning" this is "irrelevant", noting she should be free to appear however she liked free from her years being scrutinised.

She stated the digital criticism showed that no female is "immune" and that it is unfair for women to endure the "constant narrative" that they are lacking or young enough - an issue that is "maddening, regardless of the person involved".

Questioned on whether men face identical criticism, she said "no, never", adding females are attacked just for showing "audacity" to be present on social media as they age.

An Impossible Standard

Regardless of cosmetic companies emphasizing "age-defiance", she commented women were still judged regardless of if they grow older without intervention or underwent treatments like surgical procedures or injectables.

"If you age naturally, commenters state you ought to try harder; if you undergo procedures, you are criticized for not aging gracefully enough," she concluded.