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Females are uniting for Oscar-winning actor Catherine Zeta-Jones after she encountered criticism online regarding her appearance during a industry appearance.

Zeta-Jones attended a Netflix event in Los Angeles last month during which an online segment featuring her character in the latest Wednesday was eclipsed because of discussion focusing on her looks.

Voices of Support

Aged 58, Laura White, labelled the backlash "complete nonsense", stating that "males escape such a timeline that women do".

"Men don't have this expiration date imposed on women," said Ms White.

Beauty journalist aged 50, Sali Hughes, commented unlike men, women were unfairly judged as they age and the actor deserves to be at liberty to appear however she liked.

The Social Media Storm

In the video, uploaded to Facebook and garnered millions of views, Zeta-Jones, originally from Mumbles, Swansea, spoke of the pleasure of portraying her part, Morticia Addams, in season two.

Yet a significant number of the numerous remarks zeroed in on her years and were critical regarding her looks.

This criticism sparked a broad defence for the actor, featuring a popular post from a social media user which declared: "There is criticism for females if they undergo too much work done and criticize them if they avoid enough work."

Online users rallied in support, with one writing: "It's called growing older naturally and she looks beautiful."

Some called her as "stunning" and "lovely", while someone else said that "she looks her age - that's called life."

A Statement Arrival

The winner attended for her interview recently without any makeup as a demonstration and to highlight there was no set "blueprint" of how a female of a certain age is supposed to look.

Like many women her age, she stated she "takes care of herself" not to look younger but to feel "improved" and be "vibrant".

"Getting older represents a gift and if we can age the best we can, that's what really matters," she added.

She argued that men were not held to the same aesthetic benchmarks, noting "nobody scrutinizes the age of certain male celebrities are - they only appear 'fantastic'."

She explained that became part of the motivation for entering the competition for women over 45, to "show that females of a certain age continue to exist" and "possess it".

Unfair Scrutiny

Hughes, a writer and commentator from Wales, said that while the actor is "gorgeous" it was "beside the point", noting she deserves to be able to look in any way she chooses absent her age coming under examination.

She stated the online abuse proved that no female is "immune" and that females should not face the "perpetual story" that they are insufficient or youthful enough - a problem that is "galling, no matter the individual targeted".

Questioned on whether males encounter the same scrutiny, she said "not at all", explaining women were criticized simply for having the "audacity" to be present online while aging.

A Double Bind

Even with the beauty industry promoting "age-defiance", she commented women were still judged if they age gracefully or chose interventions including surgical procedures or fillers.

"If you age gracefully, people say you ought to try harder; if you get work done, you're accused of not aging gracefully enough," she remarked further.