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Females are uniting for acclaimed star Zeta-Jones following she encountered scrutiny on social media about her looks during a industry event.

Zeta-Jones attended a promotional function in Hollywood last month where a social media clip discussing her character in the new series of the 'Wednesday' show was eclipsed due to remarks focusing on her appearance.

Widespread Backing

This year's Miss Great Britain Classic winner, Laura White, called the negative reaction "utter foolishness", stating that "males escape this expiration date that women do".

"Men are free from such a timeline that women do," argued Laura White.

Writer and commentator Sali Hughes, 50, stated in contrast to men, women were unfairly judged as they age and Zeta-Jones should be able to appear however she liked.

The Social Media Storm

During the interview, uploaded to Facebook and garnered more than 2.5m views, the actor, originally from Wales, spoke of how much she enjoyed delving into her role, the Addams Family matriarch, in season two.

Yet many of the hundreds of comments centered on her age and were disparaging regarding her looks.

The online backlash sparked significant support for the actor, such as a widely-shared clip from a social media user which declared: "People criticize females for having cosmetic procedures and criticize them if they avoid enough."

Online users spoke up for her, one stating: "She is aging naturally and she looks gorgeous."

Some called her as "stunning" and "lovely", and one comment read that "her appearance reflects her years - that is reality."

Challenging Perceptions

Ms White arrived at the studio recently with a bare face as a demonstration and to demonstrate that there is no fixed "mold" of how a female in her 50s should look like.

Similar to numerous females of her years, she explained she "looks after herself" not to look younger but in order to feel "well" and be "in good health".

"Ageing is an honour and provided we do it as well as possible, that is what really matters," she stated further.

Ms White stated that men were not judged by equivalent appearance ideals, adding "no-one questions how old Tom Cruise, George Clooney or Tom Jones might be - they just look 'fantastic'."

She said it was one of the reasons behind her participation in the competition for over-45s, to prove that women in midlife are still here" and "still have it".

A Fundamental Problem

Sali Hughes, a journalist of Welsh origin, said that while Zeta-Jones was "beautiful" it was "not the point", stating further she deserves to be free to appear in any way she chooses without her age facing scrutiny.

Hughes argued the online abuse showed that no female is "exempt" and that women do not deserve the "constant narrative" which says they are lacking or of the right age - a problem that is "infuriating, irrespective of the person involved".

Asked if men face equivalent judgment, she answered "not at all", noting females are criticized just for having the "audacity" to be present on the internet while aging.

A No-Win Situation

Even with cosmetic companies advocating for "longevity", Hughes said females are still face criticism regardless of if they grow older gracefully or opted for procedures like surgical procedures or fillers.

"When a woman ages naturally, commenters state you should do more; when you have procedures, you are criticized for failing to age well," she concluded.