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Women are rallying for Oscar-winning actor Catherine Zeta-Jones following she faced disparaging remarks online regarding her looks at a recent industry appearance.

She appeared at an industry gathering in Los Angeles on 9 November where a TikTok interview about her part in the new series of Wednesday became dominated by discussion concerning her age.

A Chorus of Defence

Aged 58, Laura White, labelled the negative reaction "utter foolishness", stating that "men aren't given this expiration date imposed on women".

"Men are free from this expiration date imposed on women," stated Laura White.

Author aged 50, Sali Hughes, commented unlike men, females are unfairly judged as they age and she ought to be able to look however she liked.

Online Reaction

During the interview, also shared to Facebook and had over 2.5 million views, Zeta-Jones, hailing from Wales, talked about the pleasure of exploring her role, Morticia Addams, in the latest season.

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

This criticism sparked a broad defence for Zeta-Jones, featuring a viral video online which said: "People criticize females if they undergo cosmetic procedures and bully them when they don't have enough work."

Online users came to her defence, one stating: "She is growing older naturally and she looks stunning."

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

A Statement Arrival

The winner attended on air recently without any makeup to "prove a point" and to show that there is no fixed "blueprint" of how a female in midlife ought to appear.

Similar to numerous females in her demographic, she stated she "looks after herself" not to appear younger but to feel "improved" and appear "in good health".

"Getting older represents a gift and if we can live as well as possible, that's what really matters," she added.

She contended that men aren't held to equivalent beauty standards, adding "no-one questions the age of famous men are - they just appear 'wonderful'."

She said that became one of the reasons she entered the pageant's division the classic category, to "show that women in midlife continue to exist" and "still have it".

Unfair Scrutiny

Sali Hughes, a journalist from Wales, said that while the actor is "beautiful" this is "not the point", adding she should be able to appear however she liked free from her age facing scrutiny.

Hughes argued the online abuse demonstrated that no female is "immune" and that it is unfair for women to endure the "ongoing theme" which says they are insufficient or young enough - a situation that is "infuriating, no matter who the victim is".

Asked if males encounter the same scrutiny, she said "absolutely not", noting females are criticized simply for having the "audacity" to exist on the internet while growing older.

A No-Win Situation

Even with cosmetic companies advocating for "age-defiance", Hughes said females are still face criticism whether they aged without intervention or chose interventions like cosmetic surgery or fillers.

"When a woman ages naturally, people say you ought to try harder; when you have procedures, people say you failing to age well," she remarked further.