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Women are rallying in defence of Oscar-winning actor Catherine Zeta-Jones following she encountered disparaging remarks across platforms about her looks during a industry function.

Zeta-Jones attended a promotional function in Hollywood on 9 November during which a TikTok interview about her character in the new series of the 'Wednesday' show was eclipsed due to comments about her appearance.

A Chorus of Defence

Laura White, 58, described the backlash "complete nonsense", adding that "men aren't given such a timeline which women face".

"Men don't have such a timeline that women do," said Ms White.

Author Sali Hughes, 50, commented differently from men, females are unfairly judged for ageing and Zeta-Jones should be able to look however she liked.

The Social Media Storm

During the interview, also shared to social media and garnered more than 2.5m views, the actor, who is from Swansea, discussed the pleasure of portraying her character, Morticia Addams, in the new episodes.

Yet many of the online responses zeroed in on her age and were disparaging about her appearance.

This criticism ignited significant support for Zeta-Jones, including a popular post online which declared: "You bully women if they undergo too much work done and attack them when they don't have sufficient procedures."

Others also rallied in support, with one writing: "It's called ageing naturally and she is gorgeous."

Others described her as "gorgeous" and "lovely", with another adding that "her appearance reflects her years - that's called life."

Making a Point

The winner attended on air recently with a bare face as a demonstration and to show the absence of a "template" for what a woman in midlife ought to appear.

Similar to numerous females her age, she stated she "looks after herself" not to appear younger but to feel "better" and be "healthy".

"Growing older is an honour and if we can live as well as possible, this is what truly counts," she added.

Ms White stated that men aren't held to equivalent beauty standards, adding "no-one questions the age of certain male celebrities might be - they only appear 'great'."

She explained that became part of the motivation she entered the competition for women over 45, in order to demonstrate that midlife women are still here" and "possess it".

The Core Issue

Sali Hughes, a journalist from Wales, commented that although the actor is "gorgeous" it was "not the point", stating further she ought to be able to look however she liked without her years coming under examination.

She said the digital criticism demonstrated that no female is "immune" and that women do not deserve the "perpetual story" suggesting they are lacking or young enough - a problem that is "maddening, irrespective of the person involved".

Questioned on whether men face identical criticism, she responded "absolutely not", explaining women were attacked just for having the "audacity" to be present online while growing older.

An Impossible Standard

Even with the beauty industry promoting "youthful longevity", the author stated women were still face criticism whether they aged naturally or chose interventions such as plastic surgery or injectables.

"Should you grow older naturally, commenters state you should do more; if you undergo procedures, you're accused of not aging gracefully enough," she remarked further.