“Maybe feminism feeling like it’s in style comes as a result of increased awareness,” feminist-identifying singer Lorde writes on her Tumblr earlier this year. “Which I think is a good thing regardless of whether or not it feels ‘trendy’ (which you’re right is rl weird). I definitely don’t think feminism is going to ~go out~ or anything, I feel like we’re past that now.”

When girls are looking at Beyonce they are seeing a woman who talks about body love, being a boss and being a feminist. Her January 2014 essay, Gender Equality is A Myth!, is published in The Shriver Report. She is also criticized for romanticizing domestic violence and lightening her skin. Movies Brave and Frozen have heroines worthy of Netflix category Strong Female Lead, yet these same heroines are also part of the cringe worthy Disney Princess line, next to gals idolized for their looks and ability to marry rich. We hear of celebrity ladies like Lady Gaga called feminist (though she says otherwise, kind of), work with R Kelly and Terry Richardson—two men who are famously facing their own sex abuse allegations.

And like how grunge and punk rock lead to lower-class fashions hitting high-end runways, the fashion world—which profits from the insecurities of women—is making feminist chic: “There is this debate about women again and I want to interpret it,” Miuccia Prada said earlier this year at her Spring/Summer 2014 show. “My instrument is fashion. I had this idea that if you wear clothes so exaggerated and out there, people will look, and then they will listen.”

“On the most surface level, it must be noted that increased awareness is a good thing,” Jezebel contributor Callie Beusman writes. “Why should we care what, exactly, gets someone interested in feminist thinking, as long as they arrive there eventually?” In other words, if being a feminist is now cool, then that should be a good thing.

Much of pop culture’s adoptions of feminism can be seen as necessary baby steps—I dig that Beyonce is proud of being the boss. Still, in a world where media rules all and raising awareness only goes so far, I really want to see a plunge with sincere action. We’ll need this to make social justice in the world of gender last—as opposed to something that was once “the new black” and has since become so last season.

Screen capture from MissRepresentation.org

Earlier this month Disney stores pulled sexist Avengers girls’ T-shirts with slogans like “I need a hero” and “I only kiss heroes” off the shelves. The boys’ shirts reading, “Be a hero” remained. These old clichés were quickly called out on the internet. The message to boys that they need to be tough, the notion that girls need saving, and the idea that only heterosexual females want to kiss a hero. These messages did not go over well. And rightfully so.

Over 1,000 tweets about the shirt were sent with the hash tag NotBuyingIt, made by feminist and media watchdog organization Miss Representation, named after Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s popular documentary. Nearly 8,000 people signed the group’s petition over the shirt.

The NotBuyingIt hash tag is used when people find a type of media sexist. Go Daddy commercials, for instance, have earned top place with the most #notbuyingit tweets ever at 7,829. Miss Representation is currently campaigning on Indiegogo to raise money for a new app. (Pssst … This Magazine also has an Indiegogo campaign to check out.) The app, also named Not Buying It, will allow users to upload media they find sexist, or inspiring, to share with peers and the companies involved. It will also track and share the geographic locations getting the most attention and the areas where people are speaking out the most. Canada’s center for digital and media literacy, Media Smarts, reports people living in urban centres see up to 5,000 ads a day (Find out the mediums they list here). This app will offer the chance to use media in a positive way when faced with offensive marketing.

Apps geared to the ethical consumer aren’t new. In fact, they have a witty moniker: Apptivism.

The Not For Sale Campaign released the Free2Work mobile application. It was first released a couple years ago in time for the holiday season. A consumer can scan a bar code while shopping to see which company makes the product. They can then view the company’s ratings, based on the organization’s evaluations, on transparency, policies, monitoring, and worker’s rights.

The Good Shopping Guide app, by The Ethical Company Organisation, has information on over 700 famous brands, organized into seven categories: food and drink, health and beauty, travel, energy, fashion, home and office, and money. Included are ethical ratings and in-depth reports on each company.

Shoppers in Europe have Barcoo. Users can scan a barcode to find information such as sustainability, nutritional information and a seasonal vegetables list.

Games have also entered the scene. The Apptivist Studio’s slogan is, “Game for change.” It released its first game, Minke Rescue, where players must survive as Minke Whales living in the “harsh” Antarctic Ocean and dodging whaling ships.  The game sells for $2, sixty cents of which goes to Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

Applications can have a more narrowed focus. Vegans and vegetarians can find a wide variety of helpful tools in iTunes. PETA and Ethical Bean Coffee, among other groups, have also gotten in on the fun.

Last year half of Canadian cell phone users were using smart phones and Rogers research found 68 per cent were buying and using apps. An eMarketer 2012 forecast predicts 14 million Canadians will be smartphone users by next year.

Last month, the power of #notbuyingit forced Amazon UK to take down offensive shirts reading, Keep Calm and Rape a lot and Keep Calm and Hit Her, under 24 hours. Go Daddy received 7,000 Not Buying It tweets during the Super Bowl.

So now when those villainous Angry Birds pigs have pushed you over the edge, or you’re bored of zombiefy-ing pictures of your cat, your app prowess can be used to make informed, ethical, shopping decisions.