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There is a groundswell of support behind acclaimed star Zeta-Jones after she faced scrutiny on social media about her appearance at a recent high-profile function.

Zeta-Jones attended a promotional function in Los Angeles last month where a TikTok interview about her character in the new series of Wednesday was overshadowed because of remarks about her appearance.

Widespread Backing

Laura White, 58, labelled the backlash "complete nonsense", stating that "men don't have this sell-by/use-by date which women face".

"Males escape this expiration date that women do," said the pageant winner.

Author aged 50, Sali Hughes, stated differently from men, females are unfairly judged as they age and Zeta-Jones should be able to appear as she wishes.

Online Reaction

Within the clip, which was also posted on social media and had millions of views, Zeta-Jones, hailing from Swansea, spoke of the pleasure of portraying her character, the Addams Family matriarch, in season two.

However many of the online responses zeroed in on her age and were critical regarding her looks.

The online backlash sparked a broad defence of the actor, such as a viral video online which declared: "There is criticism for women for having treatments and attack them when they don't have enough work."

Commenters also spoke up for her, as one put it: "This is aging naturally and she is stunning."

Others described her as "gorgeous" and "very attractive", while someone else said that "she looks her age - that's called life."

A Statement Arrival

The winner attended at the studio earlier makeup-free to "prove a point" and to demonstrate the absence of a "template" for what a female in midlife should look like.

As with others her age, she stated she "takes care of herself" not to look younger but to feel "improved" and appear "vibrant".

"Ageing is an honour and provided we age gracefully, that's what truly counts," she stated further.

Ms White stated that males are not subject to equivalent beauty standards, stating "no-one questions the age of certain male celebrities are - they just are described as 'fantastic'."

She explained that became part of the motivation behind her participation in Miss Great Britain's category the classic category, to "show that women in midlife remain relevant" and "still have it".

Unfair Scrutiny

Hughes, a writer and commentator of Welsh origin, stated that although Zeta-Jones was "stunning" it was "irrelevant", adding she deserves to be at liberty to appear in any way she chooses absent her years coming under examination.

Hughes argued the digital criticism showed no woman was "protected" and that women do not deserve the "perpetual story" that they are not good enough or young enough - a problem that is "maddening, regardless of the person involved".

Questioned on whether men experience identical criticism, she responded "no, never", noting women were attacked just for showing "boldness" to be present online while aging.

An Impossible Standard

Even with cosmetic companies advocating for "age-defiance", the author stated women were still criticised whether they aged gracefully or underwent treatments including cosmetic surgery or injections.

"If you age without intervention, people say more could be done; when you have work done, people say you not aging gracefully enough," she remarked further.