WOMEN have voiced strong support for Oscar-winning actress Catherine Zeta-Jones following criticism on social media about her appearance at a recent red carpet event.
Zeta-Jones attended a Netflix event in Los Angeles on 9 November, where a TikTok interview about her role in the latest Wednesday series was overshadowed by comments targeting her looks.
Laura White, 58, and this year’s Miss Great Britain Classic, described the backlash as “complete nonsense”, adding: “Men don’t have this sell-by/use-by date that women do.”
Beauty journalist Sali Hughes, 50, echoed this sentiment, saying that women, unlike men, are unfairly judged for ageing. She added that the Mumbles-born actor should be free to look however she chooses.
In the video, which has also been shared on Facebook and amassed more than 2.5 million views, Zeta-Jones—married to actor Michael Douglas—spoke about enjoying her portrayal of Morticia Addams in season two. However, many of the hundreds of comments focused instead on her age and were disparaging about her appearance.
The online criticism sparked widespread defence of the actor. One viral Facebook video highlighted the double standards women face: “You bully women when they get too much work done and bully them when they don’t have enough.”
Other commenters praised Zeta-Jones, with one writing: “It’s called ageing naturally and she looks beautiful.” Others described her as “gorgeous” and “so pretty”, while another noted: “She looks her age—that’s called reality.”
Ms White appeared makeup-free for her interview on BBC Radio Wales Breakfast on Thursday, aiming to “prove a point” and demonstrate that there is no fixed “template” for what a woman in her 50s should look like.
Like many women her age, she said she “takes care of herself”, not to appear younger but to feel “better” and look “healthy”.
“Ageing is a privilege and if we can do it the best we can, that’s what really matters,” she said.
Ms White also highlighted the double standard between men and women, adding: “No-one questions how old Tom Cruise, George Clooney or Tom Jones are—they just look ‘great’.” She said this was one reason she entered Miss Great Britain’s over-45s category, to “show that midlife women are still here” and “still have it”.
Hughes, a Wales-born author and presenter, said that while mum-of-two Zeta-Jones was “gorgeous”, this was “not the point”. She argued the actor should be free to look as she chooses without having her age scrutinised.
The journalist said the online abuse showed that no woman is “immune” and that women do not deserve the “constant narrative” that they are not good enough or young enough—a problem that is “galling, regardless of who the victim is”.
Asked if men face the same scrutiny, Hughes said: “No, never,” noting that women are attacked simply for having the “audacity” to exist online as they age.
Despite the beauty industry promoting “longevity”, Hughes said women are still criticised whether they age naturally or undergo treatments such as plastic surgery or injectables.
“If you age naturally, people say you should do more; if you get work done, you’re accused of not aging gracefully enough,” she added.
