‘Striking’ comparison of actors at the exact same age sparks backlash

A social media upload has gone viral this week for comparing the appearances of two huge-name actors in different generations.

The Instagram account @historyphotographed - which boasts to be a hub for 'people who love history' - shared two photographs side-by-side, revealing that the women in the images were both 53-years-old when they were taken.

On the left-hand-side poses Rue McClanahan, a Hollywood veteran best known for her roles on a horde of television sitcoms - including as 'Vivian Cavender Harmon' on Maude, 'Aunt Fran Crowley' on Mama's Family, and 'Blanche Devereaux' on The Golden Girls.

The Emmy-winning favourite sky-rocketed into the spotlight in the 70s and 80s, but sadly died in 2010, aged 76.

On the right-hand-side of the online upload poses Sofia Vergara, a Colombian actress famed for her roles as 'Gloria Delgado-Pritchett' in Modern Family, and Griselda Blanco in the Netflix miniseries Griselda, who herself has a plethora of awards under her belt.

The point of the upload was supposedly to emphasise just how much changes in 'skincare, nutrition, fitness, cosmetic procedures, and even fashion' can impact the appearances of stars.

"The difference is striking," the author of the post wrote in the caption. "Today, 50 is the new 30 and it shows.

"In the past, turning 50 often meant playing 'grandma' roles. Now you’re just getting started. Youth isn’t just in the face, it’s in the mindset, the lifestyle, and how culture embraces beauty at every age."

Whilst the author of the post may have had honest intentions in the comparison of the two gorgeous gals, the post has sparked backlash, with a number of users voicing their complaints in the comments.

Whilst some pointed out that the most obvious difference is surgery advances, others wondered why we're even debating beauty standards in the first place.

One Instagram user penned: "Literally just a different hairstyle. Both are beautiful in their different way. Cultural differences too in makeup.”

As a second pointed out: “Nope! Today 50 is not the new 30 for all women!

“Many women around the world don’t have the kind of money Sofia Vergara can spend on cosmetic treatments, or have bigger issues to worry about than their appearance. Please don’t generalize this to all women!”

“What’s the difference? They’re both gorgeous!” noted a third while a fourth chimed in, pointing to the only main difference being the different era-appropriate hairstyles: “Put your finger over the granny hair and she looks young.”

And a fifth agreed: “Put long hair and different outfit on Blanche and she’s be the naturally beautiful one.”

Looks aren’t a competition, guys, but you get the drift.

“But if you just gave her long straight hair and some lip liner she’d look similar,” highlighted another.

And a final Instagram user echoed: “Change Rue’s hairstyle and clothes and we’re good to go. That’s the only thing ageing her!”

What do you reckon?