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There is a groundswell of support for acclaimed star Catherine Zeta-Jones after she encountered criticism across platforms regarding her appearance during a industry function.

Zeta-Jones attended a Netflix event in Hollywood recently during which a social media clip featuring her part in season two of Wednesday became dominated due to comments about her age.

Voices of Support

Aged 58, Laura White, described the online criticism "complete nonsense", adding that "males escape this expiration date that women do".

"Men don't have this sell-by/use-by date that women do," stated the pageant winner.

Writer and commentator Sali Hughes, 50, commented in contrast to men, women were unfairly judged growing older and she ought to be able to appear however she liked.

Digital Backlash

Within the clip, also shared to Facebook and garnered millions of views, the actor, who is from Swansea, discussed how much she enjoyed portraying her character, the Addams Family matriarch, in season two.

However many of the online responses zeroed in on her years and were negative about her looks.

The online backlash ignited widespread defence for Zeta-Jones, including a widely-shared clip online which stated: "You bully women if they undergo cosmetic procedures and criticize them for not having sufficient procedures."

Online users spoke up for her, with one writing: "She is growing older naturally and she is beautiful."

Others described her as "beautiful" and "so pretty", while someone else said that "her appearance reflects her years - that's called the natural process."

Challenging Perceptions

Ms White arrived on air earlier without any makeup to "prove a point" and to show there was no set "blueprint" of how a female in midlife is supposed to look.

Like many women her age, she said she "maintains her wellbeing" not for a youthful appearance but in order to feel "better" and be "in good health".

"Growing older is an honour and provided we age as well as possible, this is what really matters," she continued.

She argued that men were not judged by equivalent beauty standards, noting "no-one questions how old Tom Cruise, George Clooney or Tom Jones might be - they simply appear 'wonderful'."

Ms White noted it was one of the reasons she entered the competition the classic category, to prove that midlife women remain relevant" and "retain their appeal".

A Fundamental Problem

Hughes, a writer and commentator from Wales, commented that although the actor is "beautiful" that is "irrelevant", adding she deserves to be able to look in any way she chooses absent her years coming under examination.

She said the social media vitriol demonstrated no woman was "immune" and that it is unfair for women to endure the "perpetual story" which says they are lacking or young enough - a problem that is "infuriating, no matter the individual targeted".

When asked if men experience identical criticism, she said "not at all", explaining females are attacked simply for showing "audacity" to exist on social media as they age.

A No-Win Situation

Despite cosmetic companies promoting "age-defiance", Hughes said women were still face criticism whether they aged without intervention or underwent treatments including plastic surgery or injections.

"Should you grow older naturally, commenters state more could be done; if you undergo work done, people say you failing to age well," she concluded.