“Don’t Apply The ‘Old’ Standard” — Keith Urban’s Mother Slams Hypocritical Critics, Exposing The One Double Standard Men Face

Country music superstar Keith Urban, 58, has crafted one of the most enduring careers in modern music, built on raw guitar talent and a string of anthemic hits. But in an industry obsessed with image, his signature highlighted hair and youthful energy have drawn fire from critics, with some accusing him of “trying to look young” with hair dye and plastic surgery.

Now, his mother, Marienne Urban, is speaking out. In a rare and pointed defense of her son, she slammed the “hypocritical” criticism and set the record for his appearance, exposing a long-standing double standard for male artists.

“Men should take care of themselves too,” Marienne Urban stated, dismissing the idea that her son’s grooming habits are a recent attempt to fight aging. “Don’t apply the ‘old’ standard to artists.”

The criticism that Urban is “old but still trying to look young” was met with a factual, and deeply personal, timeline from his mother.

• On his famous hair: She revealed his preference for “bright colors” isn’t a new vanity. “My 58-year-old son still dyes his hair because he liked bright colors since he was 20,” she explained.
• On the “plastic surgery”: She shut down rumors of cosmetic work, revealing that any procedure was restorative, not aesthetic. “Surgery? Just fixed a broken nose from a motorbike accident in 1992.”

This correction reframes the narrative entirely, replacing the “plastic surgery” label with a necessary medical procedure stemming from an accident decades ago.

A Career Beyond the Criticism

Marienne Urban’s comments highlight a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” trap for male performers: they are criticized if they “let themselves go,” but also ridiculed if they appear to “try too hard.”

This public scrutiny has done little to slow the music icon’s momentum. Urban’s career, which began long before the 1992 accident, is defined by sustained success that has outlived the critics.

• Musical Legacy: Urban is a four-time Grammy Award winner, known for era-defining hits like “Somebody Like You” and the multi-platinum ballad “Blue Ain’t Your Color.”
• Decades of Dominance: Since his debut, he has landed 39 consecutive Top 10 hits in the U.S. and sold millions of albums, proving his connection with the audience is based on musical authenticity, not just his image.

The Kidman Factor

This intense focus on appearance is undoubtedly amplified by Urban’s high-profile marriage. He and actress Nicole Kidman, whom he married in 2006, are one of Hollywood’s most-watched power couples. As a unit, they face a level of media analysis that few endure, where every red carpet appearance is dissected.

Marienne Urban’s defense serves as a sharp reminder that behind the celebrity “brand” is a person whose choices—from a hair color he’s favored for nearly 40 years to a surgery to fix a decades-old injury—are his own.