Are ‘mid-life crisis’ allegations the male version of women beind accused of ‘ageing badly’? Everyone knows that women are guaranteed to come up against criticism whether they choose to ‘age naturally’, get work done or dress ‘younger than their age’. Sure, men experience this too, but not on the same scale. What men do seem to experience more than women are claims that they are going through a mid-life crisis.

Picking up golf, buying a new car, cheating on their wife, sporting a new style of jeans, getting a divorce, seeking out a younger circle of friends, dyeing their hair – these are all clichéd markers of a male mid-life crisis. And according to the tabloids, Ben Affleck is ticking a lot of boxes.

In between stories that he may or not be getting back together with one of his ex-wives, who both happen to be called Jennifer, Affleck is regularly mocked by the media for his supposed mid-life crisis. He rides a motorbike (and wears a leather jacket while he’s doing it), he drinks iced-coffee and eats doughnuts in his car (justice for iced-coffee doughnut lovers!). Two years after his divorce from Jennifer Garner he got a tattoo of a large phoenix rising from the ashes across his back – prompting Garner to say, ‘Bless his heart. Am I the ashes in this scenario? I refuse to be the ashes’ – he then started dating their nanny. And now, six months after his second wife Jennifer Lopez filed for divorce, Affleck has started dyeing his hair (and his beard) and it feels like we’re doing the dance all over again.

In several tabloid articles, the latter act has led to many a ‘mid life crisis’ accusation, with picking up hair dye apparently on par with filing for divorce or dabbling with the nanny.

Now, defending Affleck is outside my personal wheelhouse, but should we not give this man a break? Plenty of men in their mid-30s behave in much the same way as Affleck – making a few too many leather purchases, eating confectionary items in the driver’s seat of their car and changing their hair without telling anyone – let alone someone who is 52 and at the tail end of their second highly publicised divorce.

It’s nothing new; it’s nothing surprising, and it’s not that interesting either. Most people experiment with their image after a breakup. It’s a daunting, transitional period and it’s also an opportunity to break old habits and shake things up. Is him going to a work function with ‘noticeably darker hair’ really that ‘shocking’? Does it mean his inner world is falling apart? Is it enough to warrant the world’s attention?

New hair aside, in the recent pictures of Affleck at the CinemaCon in Las Vegas, he also looks happy. The actor was there to promote his upcoming thriller, The Accountant 2, and gave a presentation on stage with his co-stars, Jon Bernthal, Daniella Pineda and Cynthia Addai-Robinson. From the clips doing the rounds online, Affleck seems relaxed and excited about the film. ‘It does feel great to continue the story of The Accountant,’ he told the crowd. ‘I’m thrilled to be playing this part again with this great cast. In some ways, I feel like this character never left me.’

The Accountant 2 is a sequel to the 2016 film where Affleck plays Christian Wolff, an autistic accountant who launders money for some of the most dangerous criminals in the world. Usually in the director seat these days, Affleck’s return to acting has been welcomed by fans. ‘I really feel like I started liking my work the most when I arrived at a point of, I could kind of take it or leave it. Where directing became a central focus, and I just thought, well, I’m going to act in things that I just really love,’ he told GQ in a recent cover interview. At CinemaCon, the cast promised the second film, which lands in cinema on 25 April, is just as action-packed as the first.

However, working on this film has not been an easy task for Affleck. Photography for the sequel began last March, a month before his separation from Lopez, but six months before she filed from divorce. That meant filming took place during peak media circus surrounding their impending divorce.

During that period, Affleck and Lopez could not leave the house without being harassed by photographers, questioned about their marriage and scrutinised by the masses on social media. When Affleck stayed on set in Vegas the night of the Met Gala in May, which Lopez was co-chairing in New York, it became the first convincing sign that their marriage was in trouble.

That means Affleck had to navigate the entire production process while a global story about his personal life took over the internet – for the best part of a year. It’s no wonder he seemed relaxed and content on stage at CinemaCon now that the whole saga is behind him. The film is ready to be seen and his chapter with Lopez is firmly closed.

And yet, as an incredibly famous, messy man, Affleck is not out of the woods just yet. For now, he must weather another storm of mid-life crisis allegations and be mocked for removing the grey patches in his beard. It’s a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things. Given how many times he’s been around the block, excuse the pun, we think he can handle it.