Alexis Bledel made a rare public appearance, and the reaction is disheartening

25 years have passed since Gilmore Girls aired on our screens, which means both actresses look different from the characters we see during our annual autumn re-watch.

Hollywood's shocking beauty standards have tricked many of us into thinking that women simply shouldn't age. Get a facelift in your 40s, start getting Botox at 25, and get as much filler as possible so you don't look your age.

But here's the thing, looking your age is okay. However, it's something many of us, Emmys viewers included, have forgotten.

Both Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel looked beautiful at the Emmys over the weekend, but far too many people couldn't help but comment on how 'old' Alexis looked.

Many of those who passed harsh remarks about the 44-year-old's appearance have simply forgotten that Rory Gilmore didn't stay frozen in time.

Alexis is ageing naturally, and it was clearly such a shock for people to see because Hollywood is so obsessed with plastic surgery.

It is the new normal to get something done, whether it's a few little tweaks or a €200,000 facelift. Hollywood has fooled us into thinking wrinkles are wrong, frown lines are wrong, and grey hair is wrong.

Any sign of ageing must be immediately banished, especially before a lavish event like the Emmys, but seeing Alexis Bledel show off her natural beauty was like a giant sigh of relief.

It was refreshing to see someone normal on the red carpet for a change, someone who wants to age naturally because that's allowed.

Alexis Bledel looked like a normal woman in her 40s, but the reaction to her Emmys appearance was concerning.

People mocked her and expressed their shock over how 'old' and 'different' she looks now, but we, as a society, are so used to seeing celebrities with every aesthetic intervention under the sun that seeing someone age naturally was an alien experience.

One fan of the actress said, "Our perspective is warped by filters and plastic surgery on a lot of prominent figures today. I saw this picture of Alexis Bledel, in her early 40s, and people were taken aback by how 'old' she looks, but she just looks like a woman in her 40s."

Another added, "The ageism around Alexis Bledel's looks is f***ing insane! She looks amazing, and she doesn't look old at all! People are so used to stars being heavily dependent on aesthetic interventions in the industry that when they see someone aging without it, it's like they are in the wrong."

Women are allowed to age naturally, just as much as women are allowed to get aesthetic procedures to feel good.

44-year-old Alexis Bledel obviously doesn't look like a teenage Rory Gilmore anymore, that's a good thing. Our bizarre obsession with remaining young and having flawless faces has made us forget that ageing naturally is allowed too.

It's important to note that the role Alexis is best known for is from 25 years ago. We all grew up watching Rory Gilmore get accepted to Yale, fall in and out of love with Dean, Jess, and Logan, enjoy Friday night dinners with her grandparents, and drink coffee at Luke's, but the actress who played her didn't stay frozen in Stars Hollow.

That was Alexis in her late teens and early twenties, but 25 years have passed since her Stars Hollow days. Alexis Bledel grew up, she changed, and aged, but that isn't something people should be disgusted or shocked by.