Melyssa Ford defended Jasmine Guy after online critics mocked the actress’s appearance following the Netflix release of A Different World.
Taking to Instagram on Tuesday (Sept. 22), Ford called out “internet gangsters” for criticizing Guy.
“You internet gangsters get on my f**king nerves,” Ford said. She desribed Guy as “the latest woman to be picked apart for her age.”
”Women cannot win for losing,” Ford said. “If a woman gets work done, she lacks self-love, she’s insecure, she’s chasing youth. If she doesn’t, she’s letting herself go or she’s praised for being ‘brave’ for letting her face do what faces do. ‘Brave’ for aging.”
Ford went on to point out the double standard between women and men as they age.
“If you wanna die and live a good-looking corpse, that’s on you. But most of us wanna live long, healthy, robust lives, and that means getting older,” said Ford. “No one calls a fucking man ‘brave’ for going gray.”
In response to the trolls, Guy took to IG to say that the Internet can be “brutal” to women who age.
“It asks us to celebrate life while criticizing every sign that we’ve lived it,” she wrote. “Growing older brings change, and I won’t pretend every change is easy. But beauty, style, and joy don’t have an expiration date. Let’s spend less time judging ourselves and each other. And more time loving each other, making memories, and living the life we’re here to live ❤️”
While others hate, Guy is enjoying success as a cast member of Netflix’s sequel to A Different World. Debuting to critical acclaim, the show quickly shot to the #1 spot on the platform’s U.S. Top 10 list. It also accrued over 4 million global views in its opening week.
By honoring its legacy while connecting with a new generation of viewers, the revival has sparked widespread viral interest.