🔗 Share this article

Women are rallying in defence of acclaimed star Catherine Zeta-Jones after she faced scrutiny on social media regarding her appearance at a recent red carpet event.

Zeta-Jones attended an industry gathering in Los Angeles last month during which a TikTok interview about her role in the latest Wednesday became dominated due to comments about her appearance.

Voices of Support

Aged 58, Laura White, called the negative reaction "absolute rubbish", adding that "men aren't given such a timeline imposed on women".

"Men are free from this expiration date imposed on women," said Ms White.

Writer and commentator aged 50, Sali Hughes, commented unlike men, females are unfairly judged for ageing and the actor deserves to be free to look as she wishes.

Online Reaction

During the interview, uploaded to social media and garnered millions of views, Zeta-Jones, who is from Wales, spoke of the pleasure of portraying her character, the Addams Family matriarch, in the latest season.

However a significant number of the hundreds of comments centered on her age and were critical regarding her looks.

This criticism triggered significant support of Zeta-Jones, including a viral video online which stated: "There is criticism for women when they get too much work done and criticize them if they avoid enough work."

Others also rallied in support, one stating: "She is aging naturally and she is gorgeous."

Many labelled her as "gorgeous" and "lovely", with another adding that "she appears her age - that's called the natural process."

Challenging Perceptions

She appeared at the studio recently with a bare face to make a statement and to show that there is no fixed "template" of how a female of a certain age is supposed to look.

Like many women in her demographic, she explained she "looks after herself" not to appear younger but in order to feel "well" and appear "vibrant".

"Ageing is a privilege and when we age as well as possible, that's what really matters," she continued.

She contended that men aren't subject to identical aesthetic benchmarks, adding "nobody scrutinizes how old certain male celebrities are - they only look 'great'."

She explained it was part of the motivation for entering the pageant's division for over-45s, in order to demonstrate that females of a certain age continue to exist" and "retain their appeal".

The Core Issue

Hughes, a writer and commentator of Welsh origin, said that although Zeta-Jones was "stunning" this is "beside the point", adding she deserves to be at liberty to appear in any way she chooses free from her years coming under examination.

She stated the social media vitriol demonstrated not a single woman is "protected" and that females should not face the "perpetual story" which says they are not good enough or of the right age - a problem that is "infuriating, irrespective of who the victim is".

When asked if men experience equivalent judgment, she said "absolutely not", noting women were attacked merely for showing "audacity" to be present on social media while aging.

A No-Win Situation

Regardless of the beauty industry advocating for "longevity", Hughes said females are still face criticism regardless of if they grow older gracefully or chose interventions such as cosmetic surgery or fillers.

"Should you grow older without intervention, commenters state you ought to try harder; if you get procedures, you're accused of trying too hard," she concluded.