Females are uniting for acclaimed star Catherine Zeta-Jones following she faced criticism online about her appearance during a high-profile appearance.
The actor was present at a Netflix event in LA last month where a social media clip about her character in the new series of the 'Wednesday' show was overshadowed because of comments focusing on her looks.
Laura White, 58, described the backlash "absolute rubbish", stating that "males escape this sell-by/use-by date that women do".
"Men are free from such a timeline imposed on women," said Ms White.
Author Sali Hughes, 50, said unlike men, females are criticized for ageing and the actor deserves to be able to appear however she liked.
During the interview, also shared to social media and garnered millions of views, the actor, hailing from Swansea, spoke of how much she enjoyed delving into her role, the Addams Family matriarch, in season two.
However a large portion of the hundreds of comments focused on her age and were negative about her appearance.
The negative remarks ignited a broad defence of Zeta-Jones, such as a widely-shared clip online which stated: "There is criticism for women if they undergo cosmetic procedures and criticize them for not having sufficient procedures."
Commenters also came to her defence, as one put it: "She is aging naturally and she appears beautiful."
Some called her as "stunning" and "very attractive", with another adding that "she appears her age - which is simply the natural process."
Ms White arrived at the studio earlier with a bare face to "prove a point" and to highlight the absence of a "blueprint" for what a woman in her 50s is supposed to look.
As with others her age, she stated she "looks after herself" not to look younger but in order to feel "better" and be "in good health".
"Getting older represents a privilege and if we can live gracefully, this is what is important," she added.
Ms White stated that men were not judged by the same aesthetic benchmarks, noting "no-one questions how old famous men are - they simply appear 'great'."
She explained this was part of the motivation behind her participation in Miss Great Britain's category for over-45s, to "show that midlife women remain relevant" and "possess it".
Hughes, an author and presenter of Welsh origin, commented that although the actor is "stunning" that is "irrelevant", noting she deserves to be able to look however she liked free from her years coming under examination.
She said the digital criticism demonstrated no woman was "exempt" and that women do not deserve the "perpetual story" which says they are insufficient or of the right age - a problem that is "infuriating, no matter the individual targeted".
When asked if males encounter identical criticism, she answered "absolutely not", adding women were targeted merely for showing "audacity" to be present on the internet while aging.
Despite the beauty industry advocating for "age-defiance", she commented females are still judged whether they aged naturally or underwent treatments including cosmetic surgery or fillers.
"When a woman ages naturally, others claim you ought to try harder; when you have treatments, people say you trying too hard," she added.
Elara is a financial strategist with over a decade of experience in wealth management and entrepreneurship.
