The Time's Up Video At The 2018 Oscars Made Good Representation Look Easy — Because It Is

The Academy Awards were not afraid to get political this year. Ashley Judd, Salma Hayek, and Annabella Sciorra introduced the Time's Up movement at the Oscars with a video, which featured a montage of many recent trailblazers within the film industry.

Ever since late 2017, the #MeToo and Time's Up movements have taken Hollywood (and the world) by storm. So it's only fitting that Hollywood's most high-profile event of the year would feature some kind of dedication to these movements. The video featured commentary from filmmakers such as Greta Gerwig and Ava DuVernay, who called for more people to go out and make their own movies, so that their own unique perspective could be heard. Overall, it was a powerful video that will no doubt inspire those in Hollywood and beyond to speak up and let new voices be heard.

Before the ceremony, host Jimmy Kimmel said that he would also mention the movement during his opening monologue. In an interview with Vanity Fair, he mentioned that it was a "tricky" situation to talk about those serious issues while also balancing the entertainment factor of the show. He told the publication, "I do, yes [have material prepared]. It’s very tricky because when people are scared they don’t laugh, and when there’s a camera in their face they behave differently than they do in a comedy club or in the audience on a talk show."

Throughout the rest of the awards show, and the red carpet proceeding it, the #MeToo and Time's Up mentions were not in short supply.

The Time's Up movement, which is a legal defense fund that was announced on Jan. 1, also had their moment at the 2018 Golden Globes ceremony. Although it wasn't in exactly the same fashion as the Oscars. During the Golden Globes, attendees all pledged to wear black at the event in order to protest the harassment accusations that have plagued Hollywood since The New York Times' expose on the sexual assault and harassment allegations against movie producer Harvey Weinstein in October 2017.

Golden Globes attendees also pledged to wear Time's Up pins during the ceremony and the red carpet. Celebrities wore the pins, as well as black, in order to support the cause. Apparently, Reese Witherspoon, who has been one of the leaders of the Time's Up movement, had a good amount of influence in the design of the pins. They were designed by Arianne Phillips, who made them at Witherspoon's request.

Prior to the ceremony, and this huge Time's Up moment, Judd showed off some bling that she was sporting in honor of the important cause. According to Variety, she was wearing a custom diamond ring designed by Zameer Kassam. She told the publication on the red carpet, “It’s very fortunate and glamorous when my internal values and principles can be reflected in something as special as a diamond ring."

Her ring was symbolic of the movement for two reasons: the color and the amount of stones on it. The article went on to note that the the ring, which featured black diamonds, was a nod to the color many celebrities sported at the 2018 Golden Globes. The ring also contains five stones in it, which is symbolic of the (only) five women who have been nominated for the Best Director Oscar in the event's 90-year history. Like Judd said, it's not only a glamorous part of her ensemble, but a meaningful one, as well.

It's not surprising that the Academy Awards chose to include such an important nod to the Time's Up and #MeToo movements during the ceremony. Still, it was a very welcome and necessary inclusion during the show.