Like any self-proclaimed movie addict, the months of December through March are a time I look forward to every year. These months encapsulate awards season— from the Oscars to the Indie Spirit Awards, causing me to stay up until two in the morning to see if my predictions were right, and then turning to Twitter to vent my frustrations.

Oscar nominations were announced on January 22nd, and with them came two important discussions: the significant lack of female nominees in non-gendered categories, and the platform that award shows give celebrities to show support/disapproval for various "hot-topic" movements.

Last year, the red carpet was overwhelmingly full of actors and actresses who dressed in black in support for the #MeToo movement, who wore a #TimesUp pin front and center, who made grand statements about their support for Parkland and gun control. It was heartwarming to watch people so many look up to come together for a cause and to finally see that Hollywood was confronting and acknowledging issues that had been forced out of the public eye for so long.

But where the hell was all this support in years past?

While I don't presume to acknowledge anyone's intentions in showing their support for these movements, it's not like any of the issues they so strongly supported suddenly cropped up over the past few years. They are instead a product of systematic abuse, of sexism and racism gone too long without any check.

Today, it seems like every activist or "celebrity-activist" is aware of issues surrounding sexual violence and racism, but looking even to just three years ago, very few people openly discussed any of these subjects, most likely in fear of the public reception.

So what's changed? It's not as if anyone was oblivious to the hard truths they are confronting now, no matter how much they insist they "had no idea he could ever do that!" I can only attribute the change in attitude to fact that these issues finally got up to the point where they became unavoidable.

This inherently comes with an issue- are celebrities and the rest of the world who show fringe support for important movements doing it because they legitimately care, or just because everyone is doing it and it's a bad PR move to say otherwise?

So many causes have become commodified, revamped, and rebranded solely to fit the lifestyle of an Instagrammable activist. Together, we've collectively constructed what we think an ideal activist should be, but we've made it so it's okay to wear all black, post a picture with the hasting Never Again, and consider your work towards making the change over.

Let me reiterate- there is absolutely nothing wrong with showing support through what you wear or joining a popular movement, but there is a problem with commodifying a movement so much it turns into a brand, into simply upholding a projected image rather than fully, truly advocating for whatever cause the movement was built around.

It's easy to go to the Women's March for one day out of the year, or wear all black to an awards ceremony for one night and give a sound-bite about how much you care for sexual assault victims. These efforts are in no way misguided or without their benefits- they certainly bring more people to a cause and shine a public light on too-long-ignored issues.

But it's important to keep in mind we are all too often complicit in perpetuating the exact things we claim to fight against, simply because we don't pay enough attention past when it seems to be a trend. Wearing all black for a night doesn't turn you into an ally, it just brings you a little bit closer to being one. Instead of spinelessly making half-attempts to project the image of a supportive world, let's make the actual commitment to becoming one.