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Women are rallying behind Oscar-winning actor Catherine Zeta-Jones following she was targeted by criticism on social media over her looks at a recent high-profile event.

The actor was present at a Netflix event in Hollywood on 9 November during which a social media clip discussing her role in the latest the 'Wednesday' show became dominated because of remarks about her age.

Widespread Backing

Laura White, 58, described the backlash "utter foolishness", adding that "males escape this sell-by/use-by date which women face".

"Men don't have such a timeline which women face," argued Laura White.

Beauty journalist aged 50, Sali Hughes, stated differently from men, females are criticized for ageing and the actor deserves to be free to look as she wishes.

The Social Media Storm

During the interview, which was also posted on Facebook and attracted more than 2.5m views, the actor, who is from Mumbles, Swansea, discussed the pleasure of exploring her role, the Addams Family matriarch, in season two.

However a significant number of the online responses centered on her years and were critical regarding her looks.

This criticism triggered a broad defence for Zeta-Jones, featuring a popular post online which declared: "There is criticism for women for having too much work done and bully them for not having enough work."

Online users rallied in support, as one put it: "It's called aging naturally and she looks stunning."

Some called her as "stunning" and "very attractive", with another adding that "she appears her age - that is reality."

Making a Point

The winner attended for her interview recently makeup-free to make a statement and to show there was no set "blueprint" of how a woman of a certain age ought to appear.

Like many women of her years, she stated she "looks after herself" not to appear younger but in order to feel "well" and appear "healthy".

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

She contended that men were not subject to equivalent appearance ideals, noting "nobody scrutinizes the age of Tom Cruise, George Clooney or Tom Jones might be - they just appear 'wonderful'."

She explained that became part of the motivation for entering the competition for over-45s, to "show that midlife women continue to exist" and "still have it".

A Fundamental Problem

The author, a journalist of Welsh origin, stated that while Zeta-Jones was "stunning" that is "irrelevant", adding she deserves to be able to look however she liked absent her age facing scrutiny.

She said the social media vitriol proved that no female is "immune" and that females should not face the "perpetual story" suggesting they are lacking or of the right age - an issue that is "galling, regardless of the individual targeted".

When asked if men face identical criticism, she answered "absolutely not", explaining women were targeted merely for showing "audacity" to exist on social media as they age.

A No-Win Situation

Regardless of the wellness sector emphasizing "youthful longevity", Hughes said females are still face criticism if they age without intervention or underwent treatments such as cosmetic surgery or injections.

"Should you grow older without intervention, people say more could be done; when you have work done, people say you trying too hard," she remarked further.