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Women are rallying in defence of Oscar-winning actor Zeta-Jones following she faced disparaging remarks online over her appearance following a high-profile function.

She appeared at an industry gathering in Hollywood recently during which a social media clip discussing her role in season two of the 'Wednesday' show became dominated due to remarks about her age.

Voices of Support

Aged 58, Laura White, described the online criticism "utter foolishness", stating that "men aren't given such a timeline that women do".

"Males escape this sell-by/use-by date that women do," argued the pageant winner.

Author aged 50, Sali Hughes, said unlike men, females are subject to unfair scrutiny for ageing and the actor deserves to be free to appear in any way she chooses.

The Social Media Storm

In the video, uploaded to social media and attracted millions of views, the actor, originally from Wales, discussed her enjoyment in exploring her character, Morticia Addams, in the latest season.

But a large portion of the hundreds of comments focused on her years and were negative towards her appearance.

This criticism triggered significant support for Zeta-Jones, including a viral video online which declared: "People criticize women for having treatments and bully them for not having enough work."

Commenters also rallied in support, one stating: "This is ageing naturally and she appears gorgeous."

Others described her as "beautiful" and "lovely", while someone else said that "she appears her age - which is simply reality."

Challenging Perceptions

The winner attended on air recently with a bare face as a demonstration and to highlight the absence of a "template" for what a female of a certain age is supposed to look.

Like many women of her years, she stated she "maintains her wellbeing" not to appear younger but to feel "better" and look "healthy".

"Ageing is a privilege and if we can live gracefully, that's what really matters," she added.

She contended that males are not judged by identical appearance ideals, adding "people don't ask the age of certain male celebrities might be - they simply look 'wonderful'."

She explained it was part of the motivation for entering the competition for over-45s, to prove that women in midlife remain relevant" and "possess it".

The Core Issue

The author, a writer and commentator of Welsh origin, stated that although Zeta-Jones was "stunning" this is "not the point", noting she deserves to be able to look in any way she chooses free from her age being scrutinised.

She stated the social media vitriol demonstrated that no female is "protected" and that it is unfair for women to endure the "perpetual story" that they are not good enough or of the right age - a situation that is "infuriating, no matter who the victim is".

Questioned on whether males encounter the same scrutiny, she responded "absolutely not", adding females are criticized just for demonstrating the "boldness" to live on the internet while aging.

A No-Win Situation

Regardless of cosmetic companies promoting "age-defiance", she commented women were still face criticism whether they aged naturally or underwent treatments including surgical procedures or injections.

"Should you grow older gracefully, commenters state more could be done; if you get treatments, you are criticized for trying too hard," she concluded.