You know the movement is mainstream when it becomes profitable. That time has come for Black Lives Matter. In the postelection world, social activism is a brand, and everything from soda to tech companies is jumping on it.

Earlier this week, Pepsi released (then pulled) an ad featuring Kendall Jenner handing a Pepsi to a line of cops at a protest. The scene bears striking resemblance to the famous photo of a young black woman, Ieshia Evans, standing before encroaching police officers in riot gear during a protest. Twitter was quick to call foul, posting photos of police arresting and spraying protesters with captions like “if only they’d had a Pepsi.” Using that which is generally considered dissent to sell a product means protest is not only cool but commodified.

The commodification of social engagement accelerated in the wake of President Trump’s election. During the Super Bowl, Budweiser made headlines for its commercial telling the “immigrant story” of Budweiser’s founding, in reaction to President Trump’s then-recent immigration ban. Airbnb launched its #weaccept campaign, addressing refugees and others affected by the ban (meanwhile the company has faced claims that its hosts are racially biased). An 84 Lumber ad followed a Mexican woman and her daughter across the border. “Saturday Night Live” did a spoof of these ads in a skit where two competing ad agencies pitch to Cheetos. The agency that reimagines Chester the Cheetah (Cheetos’ mascot) as Danielle, the transfemme cheetah, wins.

“SNL” correctly diagnosed the shallow nature of corporations’ activism. No one is under the impression that Cheetos will be leading the next social revolution. But it is safe to say that the activism that used to define itself along the margins has moved into the mainstream.

What happens when that which is supposed to challenge the status quo becomes the status quo?

The proliferation of activism is a not a bad thing. In the past few months, people who may have never considered themselves activists turned up to rallies holding “resist” signs. If activism is what it claims to be, it will welcome these newcomers (the more the merrier, and better late than never). The activist attitude that says “we were here first, the rest of you are late to the awakening” is a hierarchical essentialism that activism itself purports to challenge.

The issue arises when mainstreaming dilutes or contorts the movement’s message. The Kendall Jenner Pepsi ad is a clear case of protest aesthetics sucked dry of protest. The ad: White model sells soda. The Movement for Black Lives: Confronts police brutality and mass incarceration that degrades black people in this country.

This is not to say that businesses are irrelevant to social change. Movements often make their way to the fore alongside private enterprise. American Apparel sold its famous “Legalize Gay” T-shirts amidst a groundswell of popular support for marriage equality. It would be a stretch to the say the T-shirts played a decisive role in the eventual legalization of same-sex marriage. But it would also be a stretch to accuse American Apparel of unfairly profiting from the movement. The company, like everyone else, hopped on the bandwagon.

Pepsi’s attempt at activist-chic was clearly misguided, but to read this ad as a one-off PR disaster would be irresponsible. As activism becomes a brand, we are all at risk of losing sight of the subversion that made the activism activism to begin with.

Madeleine Chang is a San Francisco Chronicle editorial writer. Email: mchang@sfchronicle.com