Justin Timberlake is getting older, just like everyone else, but people feel empowered to criticize his appearance just because he is in the public eye.
Timberlake appeared in a video honoring fellow artist Taylor Swift's accomplishments during the recent iHeart Music Radio Awards.
Swift won the iHeart Radio Innovator Award for 2023 and Timberlake was just one of many of her fellow musicians who celebrated her talent in the video, but some people chose to criticize his appearance instead of focusing on the subject of the video tribute.
Some said he appeared sick, or even he may have had plastic surgery that didn't go well, or that he was just generally not as good looking as they expected.
In the video, Timberlake said of Swift:
"I think the way she writes music for, especially for a core of what you would classify as her fan base, she’s not speaking to them, she’s kind of speaking for them."
You can view the video from iHeartRadio Music Awards below:
\u201c\ud83d\udcf9Full video of Taylor's part on iHeartAwards.\n\n-Innovator Award honored video (feat Miles Teller, Alex Morgan, Simu Liu, Ice Spice, Dolly Parton, Jonathan Van Ness, Simone Biles, Ed Sheeran, Justin Timberlake,Selena Gomez)\n\n-Innovator Award Acceptance Speech \n\n-Song Of The Year\u2026\u201d— TaylorSwiftPage (@TaylorSwiftPage) 1679994415
Others weren't having it though, and called out those mocking him on social media.
\u201ci see too many people saying justin timberlake "looks bad" but in reality, he's just aging like every other human. and he's aging exceptionally without filters, editing, or surgery! y'all need to grow up and accept that, he doesn't look 25 anymore, but he still looks INCREDIBLE!!\u201d— #JTWeAreWithYou (@#JTWeAreWithYou) 1680126166
\u201cPeople are bitching about the way justin Timberlake looks apparently\u2026 let\u2019s just stop bitching about the way all celebrities look. Maybe they\u2019re aging maybe they had work done, maybe they\u2019re tired today. Who knows. Let\u2019s quit placing value on people\u2019s appearance so much\u201d— Andrew Thomas (@Andrew Thomas) 1680451299
Timberlake is a 42-year-old father of two.
It's perfectly normal for him to look older.
Aging is a part of living, even for celebrities.
\u201cThe Justin Timberlake commentary underscores how ageism continues to be a big issue. Just because it continues to be socially acceptable doesn't make it right. And how can you expect people to take you seriously on issues like racism and sexism and homophobia? It's connected.\u201d— Richard Collings (@Richard Collings) 1680189384
\u201c@RichCollings Well said. Criticizing someone\u2019s appearance when they\u2019re simply existing and aging (as we all do) is sad. There\u2019s really just not a need for someone to go out of their way to be petty.\u201d— Richard Collings (@Richard Collings) 1680189384
In their fervor to comment on Timberlake's appearance, many people seem to have missed the real point of the video—honoring Taylor Swift's musical achievements.