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Women are rallying behind acclaimed star Zeta-Jones following she was targeted by criticism on social media about her looks during a industry event.

She appeared at an industry gathering in LA last month where an online segment discussing her role in season two of Wednesday became dominated by remarks concerning her looks.

Voices of Support

Laura White, 58, labelled the backlash "utter foolishness", noting that "males escape this expiration date which women face".

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

Author aged 50, Sali Hughes, commented unlike men, women were unfairly judged as they age and she ought to be free to look as she wishes.

Online Reaction

Within the clip, uploaded to social media and had more than 2.5m views, the actor, originally from Mumbles, Swansea, spoke of how much she enjoyed portraying her character, Morticia Addams, in the new episodes.

However a large portion of the numerous remarks focused on her years and were negative regarding her looks.

The online backlash sparked significant support of the actor, including a viral video online which declared: "You bully women if they undergo too much work done and attack them for not having enough."

Others also rallied in support, one stating: "She is growing older naturally and she looks gorgeous."

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

Making a Point

She appeared at the studio recently makeup-free to "prove a point" and to demonstrate the absence of a "template" of how a woman of a certain age is supposed to look.

Similar to numerous females her age, she said she "looks after herself" not to appear younger but in order to feel "improved" and appear "healthy".

"Growing older is a privilege and when we age gracefully, that is what is important," she continued.

Ms White stated that men aren't held to identical appearance ideals, adding "no-one questions how old famous men are - they just look 'fantastic'."

She explained that became one of the reasons for entering Miss Great Britain's category the classic category, to "show that women in midlife continue to exist" and "possess it".

A Fundamental Problem

Hughes, a writer and commentator of Welsh origin, said that although Zeta-Jones was "beautiful" this is "not the point", noting she should be free to look in any way she chooses absent her years coming under examination.

She stated the digital criticism proved that no female is "protected" and that it is unfair for women to endure the "ongoing theme" that they are lacking or of the right age - an issue that is "infuriating, irrespective of the individual targeted".

Questioned on whether men face the same scrutiny, she said "absolutely not", explaining women were attacked simply for showing "nerve" to live online while growing older.

A Double Bind

Even with cosmetic companies promoting "age-defiance", Hughes said females are still judged whether they aged without intervention or chose interventions like plastic surgery or fillers.

"If you age gracefully, others claim more could be done; if you get work done, people say you trying too hard," she added.