Women are rallying behind acclaimed star Zeta-Jones following she encountered scrutiny across platforms over her looks at a recent red carpet event.
Zeta-Jones attended an industry gathering in Los Angeles last month where a TikTok interview discussing her character in season two of the 'Wednesday' show was overshadowed due to comments about her age.
This year's Miss Great Britain Classic winner, Laura White, labelled the online criticism "absolute rubbish", adding that "males escape this sell-by/use-by date imposed on women".
"Men are free from this sell-by/use-by date which women face," argued the pageant winner.
Author aged 50, Sali Hughes, said in contrast to men, women were unfairly judged as they age and Zeta-Jones should be free to appear as she wishes.
During the interview, uploaded to Facebook and had millions of views, the actor, hailing from Mumbles, Swansea, discussed her enjoyment in exploring her part, the Addams Family matriarch, in season two.
But a large portion of the online responses zeroed in on her years and were disparaging regarding her appearance.
This criticism ignited significant support of Zeta-Jones, including a popular post from one Facebook user which declared: "You bully women for having treatments and criticize them if they avoid sufficient procedures."
Online users spoke up for her, one stating: "It's called ageing naturally and she appears beautiful."
Many labelled her as "beautiful" and "very attractive", and one comment read that "she appears her age - that's called the natural process."
Ms White arrived on air recently with a bare face as a demonstration and to show there was no set "blueprint" of how a female in her 50s should look like.
Like many women her age, she stated she "looks after herself" not to look younger but in order to feel "well" and be "vibrant".
"Ageing is a privilege and if we can age as well as possible, this is what really matters," she added.
She argued that men were not subject to equivalent appearance ideals, adding "people don't ask how old certain male celebrities might be - they just appear 'wonderful'."
She explained this was part of the motivation behind her participation in the pageant's division the classic category, to prove that females of a certain age continue to exist" and "possess it".
Hughes, a writer and commentator from Wales, said that although the actor is "stunning" it was "irrelevant", noting she should be free to look in any way she chooses absent her age coming under examination.
Hughes argued the social media vitriol proved not a single woman is "protected" and that it is unfair for women to endure the "constant narrative" suggesting they are not good enough or young enough - an issue that is "maddening, irrespective of the individual targeted".
Asked if males encounter the same scrutiny, she responded "no, never", explaining females are targeted just for demonstrating the "nerve" to live on the internet while aging.
Despite the beauty industry promoting "longevity", Hughes said women were still criticised whether they aged without intervention or chose interventions such as plastic surgery or fillers.
"Should you grow older gracefully, commenters state more could be done; when you have work done, people say you trying too hard," she remarked further.
