From a “Build The Wall” dress on the red carpet to an appearance from former first lady Michelle Obama, it is undeniable award season has become increasingly more political within these last few years. As the viewership of award shows continue to reach record lows, the question arises as to whether celebrities should use these shows as a platform for advocating their political views.

While some may believe those involved with the media should stay in their lane and out of politics, it is extremely important for celebrities to use their platform to shine the light on issues that are important to them. It disservices viewers to see actors, singers and other celebrities pretending there is nothing wrong in the world today. They should be able to call out and address the pressing issues in the world of media and also in the world of politics.

Just because celebrities have the public’s overbearing eye always focused on them, does not mean they should not voice their opinions when given the platform. A lot of these celebrities have experienced issues first hand that need to be heard. One of the biggest examples of this occured when hundreds of attendees wore black at the 2017 Golden Globes. After many women namely Molly Ringwald, Salma Hayek and dozens others accused director Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault, hundreds of others shared their own stories of abuse in Hollywood through social media under the hashtag Me Too and Times Up. This movement spurred by the use of an entertainment platform led to many attending the Golden Globes to wear black in support of these women.

The Golden Globes in 2017 show that protesting and facing issuing at award shows can be extremely beneficial for the movement as a whole, not just the celebrities there. Although standing in solitude with someone does not get rid of the problem, it opened the conversation for many women, not just the women of Hollywood, to share their assault stories.

While many of the issues brought up during award shows directly affect Hollywood, celebrities also speak about more universal issues. For example, singer Joy Villa has consistently worn dresses to the Grammy’s that depict national political issues. At the 2019 Grammy’s, she wore a “Build the Wall” dress with a red “Make America Great Again” clutch.  This wasn’t the first time that Villa wore her opinions on the carpet. In 2017, she wore a blue “Make America Great Again” dress and in 2018, Villa wore a dress with a fetus on in it to support the ProLife movement. While some may not agree with the issues brought up by Villa, her opinion and beliefs are still important and should be shown at award shows.

Most recently, at the 2019 Oscar’s, the immigration and the Mexico-United States border wall were both brought up in many speeches. For the Best Foreign Film category, the presenter Javier Bardem spoke in Spanish about the wall and walls cannot contain integrity. In his acceptance speech for Best Director for “Roma,” Alfonso Cuaron brought attention to the domestic workforce. He also brought up the importance of this kind of character whom is often just in the background.

Getting young people involved and interested in politics is extremely important for the welfare of the United States. In the 2016 presidential election, only 61.4 percent of the citizen voting-age population reported voting, according to Census data. While speaking about their beliefs in their acceptance speeches or monologues will not necessarily increase that number, it is important that when a preaching platform is given and to use that opportunity to express yourself and your beliefs. Therefore, celebrities should continue to show their support or displeasure with certain issues whenever the opportunity arises.