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★★★★★

4.5

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214 reviews

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Is Blake Lively a bitch or being misconstrued? Will Elon ever stop cringing us out? And why is everyone using slurs again? Every week Polyester's head girlies Ione Gamble and Gina Tonic take you down a weekly rabbit hole of online discourse and pop culture - from trad wives and surrogacy to porn stars and unhinged press tours. Exploring the intersection of IRL and URL through a feminist lens, the Polyester Podcast is your weekly digest on absolutely everything everyone on the internet is talking about. With guests like Tavi Gevinson and Sofia Coppola collaborator Stacey Battat, and special episodes beamed into your ears from cultural centres like London’s Tate Modern and Barbican Centre, every Monday we offer a down-to-earth take from the front lines of the internet, feminism, and the weird world of celebrity it has spawned. Hosted by Editor in Chief Ione Gamble with Senior Editor Gina Tonic. Edited by Olivia Graham. Have faith in your own bad taste! Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member 3 Polyester is a self published, intersectional feminist arts and culture publication aiming to bridge the gap of URL cyberfeminism with the IRL world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Check latest episodes from The Polyester Podcast podcast

Are Botox, Fillers and GLP1’s Changing Not Just Our Bodies, But Our Minds Too?

2026/04/19

As we’re slowly learning more about drugs like Ozempic, we’re also finding out more about their side effects. Does botox reduce our ability to empathise? Are we all just numbing ourselves from the world in the pursuit of self optimisation? In this week’s episode, hosts Ione and Gina dig into how people are using tweakments not just for their advertised effects - but for the ways they change our emotions and habits. Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member 3 Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, here! Order Gina's book, Greedy Guts, here! A statement by journalists: We condemn Israel's killing of journalists in Gaza and urge integrity in Western media coverage of Israel's atrocities against Palestinians. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is A24’s 'The Drama' Worth This Much Discourse?

2026/04/12

It's that time y'all! The Polyester Podcast is wading into the discourse deep end about another widely critiqued movie but this time, there's a twist: We're actually enjoyed the film! In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina dig into the subtext of Kristoffer Borgli's new dark comedy The Drama. Is the Zendaya and Robert Pattinson fronted flick a failure at analysing such a sensitive subject matter? Does the film fail to take into consideration its casting? And will the culture ever move past needing movies to make their politics unequivocally clear? Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member 3 Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, here! Order Gina's book, Greedy Guts, here! A statement by journalists: We condemn Israel's killing of journalists in Gaza and urge integrity in Western media coverage of Israel's atrocities against Palestinians. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Millennial Feminism Is Dead, Long Live Millennial Feminism

2026/04/05

We're back and the world has gone ape in our absence! Between X discourse about Slut Walks and criticism of Lindy West's new memoir Adult Braces, it's time for a full retcon of the past and present state of Millennial Feminism. In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina reflect on 2010s sex positivity, the commodification of feminism throughout the ages and the nihilistic point of view gen z feminists are left to reckon with. Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member 3 Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, here! Order Gina's book, Greedy Guts, here! A statement by journalists: We condemn Israel's killing of journalists in Gaza and urge integrity in Western media coverage of Israel's atrocities against Palestinians. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Mormonism Took Over Pop Culture

2026/03/16

Please note this was recorded and released prior to the release of series four of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, the cancellation of The Bachelorette and the news regarding Taylor Frankie Paul. Growing up, Mormonism's pop culture imprint belonged solely in South Park jokes and the occasional mention in American politics. Now, it feels like we can't move without a new Mormon influencer - from Nara Smith to MomTok - taking over our feeds. This week, hosts Ione and Gina explore what Mormonism actually is, how the new wave of Mormon influencers have changed how the Latter Day Saints are perceived and whether or not reality telly can truly sugar coat the toxic problems within the religion. Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member 3 Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, here! Order Gina's book, Greedy Guts, here! A statement by journalists: We condemn Israel's killing of journalists in Gaza and urge integrity in Western media coverage of Israel's atrocities against Palestinians. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Looksmaxxing, Clavicular, And Alt-Right Masculinity Went Mainstream

2026/03/09

Before 21 year old looksmaxxer streamer Clavicular walked the Elena Valez runway at NYFW, his brand of hyper misogynist masculinity was confined to teenage boys in their bedrooms and the terminally online taking the piss out of him. But after making his fashion debut, Clavicular has garnered attention from nearly every mainstream mag imaginable. With other designers sending ‘looksmaxxing’ T-shirts down the runway, has inceldom found a mainstream home? In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina unpack Clavicular's lore, from bone smashing to extreme racism, dissect the fashion world's continuing flirtation with the alt right and ask whether or not deplatforming really works for gen z influencers? Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member 3 Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, here! Order Gina's book, Greedy Guts, here! A statement by journalists: We condemn Israel's killing of journalists in Gaza and urge integrity in Western media coverage of Israel's atrocities against Palestinians. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our Take On Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights

2026/02/23

Emerald Fennell has only gone and done it again - made a visually stimulating but emotionally empty film for posh people to coo over. Is it a faithful adaptation of Wuthering Heights? No. Is it an amazing film in its own right regardless? Also no. Do the sets and costumes make up for bad casting and crap script? Unfortunately, this time, I'm afraid it's a no. In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina get to grip with a movie made to try and cause controvery, and answer the question of whether it actually manages to achieve, well anything. Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member 3 Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, here! Order Gina's book, Greedy Guts, here! A statement by journalists: We condemn Israel's killing of journalists in Gaza and urge integrity in Western media coverage of Israel's atrocities against Palestinians. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Girlification Of Beta Blockers

2026/02/16

“TAKE THAT BETA BLOCKER, GIRL!" exclaims Rachel Sennott on your iPhone from the Oscars red carpet. A couple of years ago, you remember a Kardashian episode dedicated to Khloe taking beta blockers on the back of Kris's advice. Giggly Squad sell you a baseball cap with 'Beta Blockers' emblazoned across it. This week, hosts Ione and Gina dig into the normalisation of the blood pressure medication for treating anxiety. Is celebs talking about anxiety a net positive? Should we be making more of a fuss about the ease we can dupe online pharmacies? Is Big Pharma using meme culture to exploit us all? Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member 3 Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, here! Order Gina's book, Greedy Guts, here! A statement by journalists: We condemn Israel's killing of journalists in Gaza and urge integrity in Western media coverage of Israel's atrocities against Palestinians. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nicki Minaj is MAGA, ICE out, and If Celebrity Activism Can Be Successful

2026/02/09

As we've come to expect with a political crisis, celebrities have no idea how to act - Do you post to story even if you get labelled performative a la Billie Eilish? Do you prepare a speech in case you're stopped on the red carpet wearing an ICE OUT pin, so you're not caught out like Jack Antonoff? Do you align yourself with the worst people in the world, as Nicki Minaj as opted for in the past couple of months? This week, hosts Ione and Gina delve into the ICE in Minneapolis, how AI is playing a factor and the different ways that celebs getting involved - to varying degrees of success and authenticity. Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member 3 Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, here! Order Gina's book, Greedy Guts, here! A statement by journalists: We condemn Israel's killing of journalists in Gaza and urge integrity in Western media coverage of Israel's atrocities against Palestinians. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our Take On The Brooklyn Beckham Saga

2026/01/26

In the final hour before recording this week, we had to push our planned research aside and get stuck into the meat and bones of the juiciest celeb drama 2026 has given us so far: Brooklyn Beckham released an eight part Instagram story tell all about his much rumoured estrangement from his parents, Victoria and David Beckham. In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina get to grips with the implicated misogyny of everyone’s response, the particular Britishness of this scandal and why, for once, this is gossip we can engage with guilt free. Please note we recorded this episode on Wednesday, 21st January at 4pm GMT - if any new goss has unfurled, we have not addressed it in this ep. And if you want to listen to our secret episode on 2016 nostalgia: Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member 3 Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, here! Order Gina's book, Greedy Guts, here! A statement by journalists: We condemn Israel's killing of journalists in Gaza and urge integrity in Western media coverage of Israel's atrocities against Palestinians. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is My Life Too Easy? What Is Frictionmaxxing? And Should We All Be Doing It?

2026/01/19

Would you like an app that analyses your Google calendar and plans your day for you? Have you tried ChatGPT for meal planning? What about this ring that tracks your sleep habits and creates a routine that will mean you get to sleep even faster than before? We're suffering a convenience endemic, where the tech and AI solutions to being uncomfortable are breeding new, depressing ways to avoid the realities - and even the fun! - of life. In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina get to grips with frictionmaxxing: The new term encouraging us to add discomfort, time and human interaction to our everyday experiences. The pair discuss how class and disability play into this trend, why our joie de vivre is being robbed from us by capitalism and how we should make more efforts to dilly and dally in our day to day. Buy our newest issue here! Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member 3 Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, here! Order Gina's book, Greedy Guts, here! A statement by journalists: We condemn Israel's killing of journalists in Gaza and urge integrity in Western media coverage of Israel's atrocities against Palestinians. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why Are Men Using Elon Musk’s AI Chatbot to Undress Women Without Their Consent? The Latest In AI's Abuse Of Women

2026/01/12

A dark new issue has arisen on the platform formerly known as Twitter (a likely place for it to happen) where users are asking X's inbuilt AI bot, Grok, for indecent and sexualised images of women and children. While, as discussed in the ep, nudeification isn't exactly a new problematic facet of life online, it's only in the last month that the act has become a "trend" - for lack of a better word. In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina delve into the specifics of what is happening, the continuing issues we're facing with AI and the lack of control any government or governing body has over internet abuse. Buy our newest issue here! Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member 3 Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, here! Order Gina's book, Greedy Guts, here! A statement by journalists: We condemn Israel's killing of journalists in Gaza and urge integrity in Western media coverage of Israel's atrocities against Palestinians. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Only 2026 Ins And Outs List You Need

2026/01/05

Happy new year girlies! As is tradition in this joint (and across the internet at large), our hosts are giving their hot or not predictions for the upcoming twelve months. In this week's episode, Ione and Gina discuss the possible return of woke, whether Substack is over, Timothée Chalamet’s chances of winning the Oscar, whether we’ll finally see the death of on the street voxpop TikToks, and much more. Buy our newest issue here! Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member 3 Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, here! Order Gina's book, Greedy Guts, here! A statement by journalists: We condemn Israel's killing of journalists in Gaza and urge integrity in Western media coverage of Israel's atrocities against Palestinians. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar-A-Lago Face And The Grotesque Beauty Of MAGA Women

2025/12/22

Vanity Fair has gone and done it, they've revealed the true grotesqueness of the Trump administration with high res, close up photos of the White House staff. Or is it really all that surprising, when we've been chatting about Republican makeup and Mar-A-Lago face for months? This week, hosts Ione and Gina get to grips with the reasons behind why MAGA women are investing so heavily in this particular beauty look, with all signs posting to power dynamics, a desire to shock and obscene displays of wealth. Buy our newest issue here! Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member 3 Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, here! Order Gina's book, Greedy Guts, here! A statement by journalists: We condemn Israel's killing of journalists in Gaza and urge integrity in Western media coverage of Israel's atrocities against Palestinians. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All The Gossip From Our Print Issue Launch In New York

2025/12/16

Surprise! A little midweek episode to keep you updated on the Polyester goings on! This week, hosts Ione and Gina chat the new issue with Sky Ferreira on the cover, the launch events in New York plus a little sidebar into this week's cultural going ons. Buy the issue here! Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member 3 Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, here! Order Gina's book, Greedy Guts, here! A statement by journalists: We condemn Israel's killing of journalists in Gaza and urge integrity in Western media coverage of Israel's atrocities against Palestinians. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Club Chalamet Deep Dive

2025/12/08

It's been a bumper week for the Timothee Chalamet stans - Marty Supreme is getting hit reviews, his hair is starting to grow back and the very controversial key holder of the kingdom has done her first ever media feature. That's right, Club Chalamet just got profiled by the Wall Street Journal. This week, hosts Ione and Gina get to grips with the reaction surrounding the feature, Club Chalamet's fraught political and internet history, and what her disproportionate impact tells us about fandom and fan culture today. Check out https://www.squarespace.com/POLYESTER10 to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code POLYESTER10. Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member 3 Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, here! Order Gina's book, Greedy Guts, here! A statement by journalists: We condemn Israel's killing of journalists in Gaza and urge integrity in Western media coverage of Israel's atrocities against Palestinians. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Podcast reviews

Read The Polyester Podcast podcast reviews

4.5 out of 5

214 reviews

★★★★★

aylorbay 2026/01/26

Fave 4VR

In a very fitting, but also very Junior High Yearbook fashion: plz don’t eva change! I live for this Sunday pod drop. You’re my favorite pod/ppl. You’...

★★★★★

oatspeasclover 2026/01/19

Sharp and thoughtful

Ione and Gina are perceptive & charming hosts, their banter & friendship adding a delicious personal touch that leaves me looking forward to settle in...

★★★★★

lauraow 2026/01/07

Love the gab

Look forward to these gems each week and can’t wait for your newest issue to arrive! xx

★★★★★

MMeigsS 2025/12/09

I think this podcast makes me 25% cooler.

Listening to this podcast makes me feel so cool. It’s like overhearing a conversation at a coffee shop with the two ladies you’d love to be friends wi...

★★★★★

grilled_cheese_melt 2025/12/01

Love!!

This podcast has been such a lifesaver as I try to cut back on being online <3 Keeps me up to date on pop culture & the current landscape with an ener...

★★★★★

fawnisie 2025/09/16

my favorite podcast

i've been listening to this podcast for around 6ish months now and i'm absolutely obsessed!!! at the time i discovered the polyester podcast i was in ...

★★☆☆☆

Gnatnelson 2025/11/25

Not for me

I was excited about listening to this podcast because the snippets I heard were really interesting. But then I pulled up the Lily Allen episode and on...

★★★★★

gmf2455 2025/09/08

Review from “performative gay male”

I don’t know if a review is the space for a comment on an episode but as a middle aged gay man who has always done this “performative” stuff (I have 1...

★★★★★

kaykims 2025/08/23

i <3 polyester!

so happy my friend (shout out morgan!) introduced me to this pod. my wife and i love listening to you two break down topics and provide different view...

★★★★★

madmayi 2025/06/23

thx for easing my boredom

i have an extremely boring research project at my job rn, and you lovelies are the soundtrack to get me through the first bit of it each monday!! love...

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