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★★★★★

4.5

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225 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

I Am Jane Doe And The Internet's Complicity To The Cornell Case

2026/10/11

Trigger warning: sexual assault and misogyny The internet has been set ablaze by the proliferation of a college campus sexual assault at Cornell university in 2024. After a recent expose by the student newspaper against the fraternity members who were involved as well as the failings of the Cornell higher ups and the local police department to deliver justice, national and international news and social media accounts have been quick to deliver their own take on the case. This week, hosts Ione and Gina take apart the social media reaction to the so called 'Cornell 7', the monetisation that influences inflammatory responses on X in particular and whether the I Am Jane Doe campaign is a successful way of protesting against the systematic failures that allow assaults like this to happen in the first place. Order The Polyester Book Of Bad Taste here! Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member 3 Watch the episode on YouTube! Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, here! Order Gina's book, Greedy Guts, here! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How A Covid Conscious Lesbian Bar In Massachusetts Became The Epicentre Of The Culture Wars

2026/10/04

You must have heard about it by now and if you haven't? Lucky you. It's not often that a local news story breaks containment through traditional reporting and not a viral TikTok, but for Last Ditch - the Covid conscious lesbian bar in Greenfield, MA - a report from The Boston Globe broke open a case that would change the world. Or at least, our social media feeds. This week, hosts Ione and Gina get to grips with the ongoing backlash Last Ditch are experiencing from offering a mask optional night in their programming. Is the owner in the wrong for excluding patrons who can only attend fully masked events? Is their community acting too harshly in their response to her business decision? And should we question the ethics of laughing at situations that the right wing are capitalising on during the American mid terms? Order The Polyester Book Of Bad Taste 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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are Thinkfluencers Democratising Education Or Is This Just Academia Slop?

2026/09/27

You know the best way to learn something? A 60 second video that you watch on two times speed referencing one case study found in another video of the same ilk. Duh! This week, hosts Ione and Gina get to grips with the newest kind of content creator - the Thinkfluencer. This short form video essayist condenses topics into bitesize chunks to give viewers insight on topics ranging on everything from neuroscience to the Met Gala. Is this content helping to make academia more accessible or is it hindering our natural hunt for knowledge? Or is this just another trend for engagement farming? Order The Polyester Book Of Bad Taste 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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Problem with Sydney Sweeney’s Gambling Advert Isn’t Her Body

2026/09/20

It's not about Sydney Sweeney doing an easily misinterpreted advert again. It's not about her being completely naked in it either. Listen to me, it's just sports. Or at least, that's what gambling app Novig want you to think. This week, our hosts Ione and Gina dissect the discourse surrounding Sydney Sweeney's latest advertisement drama and get to grips with the more pressing problem that is arising across the world of marketing: The ethics of promoting gambling and who benefits from the popularisation of bettings apps. Order The Polyester Book Of Bad Taste 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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is C*ntslop A New Pop Genre Or Just Another Way To Diminish Women?

2026/09/13

Alert! There has been a slop detected in the mother toilet - who refused to flush? We are talking about, of course, the lukewarm reception that's being directed towards the new Adela and Rebecca Black album releases. This week, hosts Ione and Gina get to grips with the newest term spawned out of Twitter and being dissected on Substack - C*ntslop. Are pop music visuals going too far? Or are they not authentic enough? How does it all tie into the white gay male gaze? And should we stop pandering to the pink pound? Order The Polyester Book Of Bad Taste 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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is Influencer Hate Just Misogyny?

2026/09/06

Has the title influencer dropped from glamour to disregard because people hate women? Or is it possibly due to the growing resentment between the working class and the content creator economy? This week, hosts Ione and Gina get to grips with the discourse connecting the ire directed at influencers with misogyny. Is a Nantucket sign in a vintage shop outright sexism or a signal of a growing exhaustion with social media's impact on society? Does every public figure need to be insightful as well as aesthetically enviable? And is anyone directing this kind of nihilism towards influencers towards male content creators? Order The Polyester Book Of Bad Taste 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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kinda Chic That Cool Girl Trends Are Ruining The Internet...

2026/08/30

It's kinda chic to eat a sandwich. It's kinda chic to lean on a bollard. It's kinda chic to intellectualise an Instagram trend as a signifier of the end days. This week, hosts Ione and Gina talk about the growing need to be seen as cool across social media - spawning everything from tutorials on how to be cool to long read Substacks dissecting the tutorials. Has the the algorithm has fully drained the joy of recommendation and curation? Is the quest for coolness futile? And if everyone is kinda chic, then is no-one chic at all? Order The Polyester Book Of Bad Taste 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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Girlification of Surveillance Culture

2026/08/23

The OOTD has taken on a new look: A still snapped from the video your Amazon owned Ring doorbell. Or, if you're Kylie Jenner, a selfie taken on your Meta glasses after bossing around your assistants for an #ad on Instagram. Nadia Lee Cohen and Alex Consani are amongst the swathes of fashion industry heavyweights embracing surveillance tech - but why are they allowing their images to be used for something so seemingly evil? This week, hosts Ione and Gina take on the girlification of the surveillance state, the actual terrors that lie in the tech companies controlling our cameras, and why we need to stand up against the normalisation of peer to peer data capture. Order The Polyester Book Of Bad Taste 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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Horny Is the Slasher Genre? Dissecting The Queer Metaverse of 'Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma'

2026/08/16

It's a long, hot American Summerween and we're so excited for Jane Schoenbrun's third feature film to finally hit our screens. 'Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma' is Schoenbrun's third feature film and this time, they're taking on the slasher genre. This week, hosts Ione and Gina get to grips with the queer metaverse of Camp Miasma, the poignancy of casting Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson, and how trans narratives translate to universal experience in the movie of the summer. Watch the film in all good US cinemas now and in the UK from August 21st!! Order The Polyester Book Of Bad Taste 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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our Take On Charli xcx's New Album, 'Music, Fashion, Film'

2026/08/02

Pop's favourite provocateur Charli xcx is back - not that she ever went away - with a host of ‘anti-marketing marketing’ launch her seventh studio album 'Music, Fashion, Film'. From ‘in conversation with’ events and cover profiles to teasing lyrics via Substack posts and arthouse cinema screenings; the rollout for the project looks suspiciously like… the same old marketing tactics. But is the album any good? This week, hosts Ione and Gina get to grips with Charli’s indie influenced new sound, the connotations of her cultural commentary and how the music tracks as a follow up to her beloved 'brat'. Order The Polyester Book Of Bad Taste 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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Extreme Thinness Has Never Been More Coveted, Visible, and Depressing

2026/07/19

From Caroline Calloway penning viral essays to the constant discourse surrounding Ariana Grande - it’s no news to listeners of this podcast that thin is in. Yet on a weekly if not daily basis, a new Internet fixation surrounding weight loss rears its ugly head. The content is impossible to avoid, but in a culture that is normalising extreme thinness more and more, is it any wonder how we got to this point? This week, hosts Ione and Gina dig into the proliferation of not just skinniness but pro-ana rhetoric, and whether we will ever return from the ongoing requirement of extreme restrictions in women. Trigger warning: This week’s podcast discusses eating disorders and weight loss and may be triggering for some readers. Order The Polyester Book Of Bad Taste 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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Live: Do Gen Z Have A Problem With Age Shaming?

2026/07/13

As Gen Z have aged up, they have become known for a generational distaste (at best) and fear (at worst) of ageing. But how is this expressed and how does it manifest? And why has it developed at all? This week, hosts Ione and Gina are joined by Ellen Atlanta, author of Pixel Flesh, for an extra special live episode of the podcast at the Wellcome Collection. The three discuss sunscreens pros and cons, the fallacy of preventative tweakments and whether having a fear of ageing is an inherent part of human nature. This is a live episode recorded at Wellcome Collection Lates, a free after-hours event. Find out more wellcomecollection.org Order The Polyester Book Of Bad Taste 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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Retcon On Self Infantilisation Culture Ft. Toddlercore, Fro-Yo, And Commercial Girlhood

2026/07/05

It's been three years, how are we still 'just girls'? Is it because of food trend focussing on nostalgia? A need to heal our inner child? Or a lack of definition of what adulthood without conservative family goals can be? This week, hosts Ione and Gina reckon with what some media outlets are calling 'toddlercore'. From eating tater tots and fro-yo to wearing baggy jeans, is arrested development a serious problem in gen z and millennial adults or are we just reacting to the crumbling society we've inherited? Order The Polyester Book Of Bad Taste 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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are Teenage Social Media Bans Slay Or Unc?

2026/06/28

The UK - and a lot of other countries, actually - are rolling out social media bans for under sixteens as well as social media curfews for those under eighteen. The news has caused uproar with teens promising they'll find workarounds, parents stressing about the impact on their kids and everyone raising concerns about giving mega corporations access to our government ID info. This week, hosts Ione and Gina get to grips with the cultural impacts of excluding future generations from the internet, the implications of big tech taking on this responsibility and, most excitingly, an insight on the Sheila Matrix. Order The Polyester Book Of Bad Taste 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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why Has Taste Become an Internet-wide Obsession?

2026/06/14

It appears tech bros are shaking in their boots because... they're being called cringe - even when they buy a Rimowa suitcase and a full wardrobe from The Row. In a now viral essay, writer Emily Segal assigns the term 'tasteslop' to the lack of taste signified by items that used to be upheld highly in the taste algorithm when enjoyed by those who don't get it - aka, AI bots and the AI company owners. This week, hosts Ione and Gina rub their hands together because The Polyester Book Of Bad Taste is landing on shelves just in time to tackle the tasteslop phenomenon. The pair chat through why everyone is speaking about taste right now, how the inherent hierarchies of taste are changing and whether or not we're heading towards the worst outcome of all: The era of no taste. Order The Polyester Book Of Bad Taste 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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Podcast reviews

Read The Polyester Podcast podcast reviews

4.5 out of 5

225 reviews

★★★★★

urbanmilky 2026/10/04

Love the girls

I love this podcast because as an American starting a PhD in the UK next year I’m using it to learn the accents and also their conversations are so nu...

★★★★★

Rachel from Vermont 2026/09/28

Great Listen

I look forward to hearing this podcast every week. I am just beginning to explore more of the Polyester universe with the zine and just ordered both G...

★★★★★

alltreesareoaks 2026/09/27

love ione and gina!

been listening since 2024 and I want to thank you lovely girlies for being online so I don’t have to! I don’t always agree with your takes but that’s ...

★★★★☆

LittleGomez 2026/06/28

Great Bad Taste

I listen to your pod religiously as it’s one of my many as I call “woman-scapes” where I can contemplate the existence of womanhood on the backdrop of...

★☆☆☆☆

Hopeishere5555555 2026/06/10

Do some research

Listen, I love a chatty podcast. However, even this format requires some level of mastery over the material. This just sounds like my friends and I ya...

★★★★★

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...

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