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Females are uniting behind Oscar-winning actor Catherine Zeta-Jones following she encountered disparaging remarks online regarding her appearance following a red carpet event.

She appeared at a promotional function in Los Angeles last month during which an online segment about her part in season two of Wednesday was eclipsed due to remarks about her looks.

Voices of Support

This year's Miss Great Britain Classic winner, Laura White, called the negative reaction "utter foolishness", adding that "men don't have such a timeline imposed on women".

"Males escape such a timeline that women do," stated Ms White.

Writer and commentator Sali Hughes, 50, said in contrast to men, females are subject to unfair scrutiny for ageing and the actor deserves to be able to look as she wishes.

Digital Backlash

In the video, uploaded to social media and attracted more than 2.5m views, Zeta-Jones, hailing from Swansea, discussed the pleasure of exploring her role, Morticia Addams, in season two.

Yet many of the online responses focused on her age and were negative regarding her looks.

The negative remarks ignited widespread defence of the actor, including a widely-shared clip from one Facebook user which stated: "People criticize women if they undergo cosmetic procedures and bully them for not having enough."

Commenters also rallied in support, one stating: "This is aging naturally and she looks beautiful."

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

Challenging Perceptions

The winner attended for her interview earlier makeup-free as a demonstration and to show that there is no fixed "template" for what a woman in midlife ought to appear.

Similar to numerous females in her demographic, she said she "looks after herself" not to appear younger but to feel "better" and look "vibrant".

"Growing older is an honour and if we can live as well as possible, that is what really matters," she added.

She contended that males are not subject to identical beauty standards, adding "no-one questions how old certain male celebrities might be - they only look 'fantastic'."

She said this was a key factor behind her participation in Miss Great Britain's category for women over 45, to prove that women in midlife are still here" and "retain their appeal".

Unfair Scrutiny

Sali Hughes, an author and presenter from Wales, stated that while Zeta-Jones was "stunning" this is "not the point", noting she deserves to be able to look in any way she chooses absent her age coming under examination.

Hughes argued the social media vitriol showed not a single woman is "protected" and that women do not deserve the "perpetual story" which says they are not good enough or young enough - an issue that is "galling, no matter the individual targeted".

Questioned on whether men face identical criticism, she said "no, never", noting females are attacked merely for having the "audacity" to exist on the internet as they age.

A No-Win Situation

Regardless of the beauty industry emphasizing "youthful longevity", she commented females are still criticised if they age naturally or chose interventions including cosmetic surgery or injectables.

"If you age without intervention, people say more could be done; if you get work done, you are criticized for not aging gracefully enough," she remarked further.