If you’ve ever looked in the mirror after a long week and thought, “Well, gravity is certainly having its way with me,”you’re in good company. Apparently, even being an Oscar winning, Welsh born screen goddess doesn’t exempt you from the relentless scrutiny of people who believe that a woman’s face should remain a static, poreless porcelain mask from age 20 until she eventually ascends to a higher plane of existence.
This week, the digital world decided to take a break from its busy schedule of arguing about air fryers to target Catherine Zeta-Jones. After the 56 year old appeared at a Netflix event in Los Angeles to promote the second season of Wednesday, a TikTok interview clip went viral. But rather than discussing her return as the iconic Morticia Addams, the comment section became a cesspool of “keyboard warriors” expressing shock that a woman in her mid fifties might actually… look like a woman in her mid fifties.
The Great Ageing Paradox
The irony of the situation is thick enough to spread on toast. Zeta-Jones is currently caught in the classic celebrity pincer movement:
Option A: Age naturally and get called “haggard” or “unrecognisable” by trolls who haven’t seen a woman without a filter since 2014.
Option B: Opt for cosmetic help and get bullied for “destroying your natural beauty” or “not ageing gracefully.”
It’s a game where the only way to win is not to play, but when your job involves being projected onto IMAX screens, “not playing” isn’t really an option. As beauty journalist Sali Hughes aptly noted, the scrutiny is “galling” because it highlights a constant narrative that women are never “young enough” or “good enough” a narrative that somehow miraculously skips over the George Clooneys and Tom Cruises of the world.
Enter the Keyboard Worriers
Let’s talk about our judgmental friends in the comments. You know the ones: people with a cartoon avatar and “Live, Laugh, Love” in their bio, spending their Tuesday afternoon typing “What happened to her face?” into a smartphone.
While they’re busy mourning the loss of Catherine’s 1998 Zorro complexion, Zeta-Jones is out here playing one of the most stylish matriarchs in television history. There is a certain brand of bravery in simply existing as a 56 year old woman in Hollywood without surrendering to the “template” of perpetual youth. Laura White, this year’s Miss Great Britain Classic, even turned up to a radio interview makeup free to prove that midlife women don’t have a “sell by date.”
The Final Cut
The backlash to the backlash has, thankfully, been swift. Thousands of fans have rallied behind the actress, pointing out that “ageing like a normal human being” is actually a privilege, not a failure.
Ultimately, if you’re more concerned with the fine lines around an actor’s eyes than the performance they’re delivering, the problem isn’t the actress, it’s the person staring at the screen. Catherine is still the goddess of the Mumbles, and she’s doing it her way. As for the trolls? Maybe it’s time to put the phone down and realise that wrinkles are just nature’s way of proving you’ve lived a life worth looking at.
Related topics: Entertainment
