The Polyester Podcast

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.

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Millennial Feminism Is Dead, Long Live Millennial Feminism

Sun, 05 Apr 2026 23:00:00 GMT

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.

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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.

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How Mormonism Took Over Pop Culture

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

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.

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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.

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

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

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?

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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.

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Our Take On Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

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.

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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.

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The Girlification Of Beta Blockers

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

“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?

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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.

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

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 00:03:00 GMT

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.

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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

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

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

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?

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

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.

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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

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

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.

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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.

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The Only 2026 Ins And Outs List You Need

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

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.

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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

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 11:04:32 GMT

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.

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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

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 16:27:57 GMT

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!

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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

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

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.

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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.

Good For Nothing? Why We’ve All Had Enough Of Wicked

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

As we're all subjected to another Wicked press tour for the second instalment of the blockbuster, the question on everyone's lips is whether the Wicked press tour ever stopped in the first place? Greeted with another series of emotional interviews, reaction tweets and harrowing body discourse, it felt urgent to dissect what precisely is dampening the furore this time around.

This week, hosts (and Wicked haters) Ione and Gina take their magnifying class to the discourse surrounding Wicked: For Good. Have we all become desensitised to memeing eating disorders, is the palpable fatigue from the stars getting in the way of our enjoyment or does it just boil down to the fact that the film itself just isn't very, well, good?

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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.

Who Is Nick Fuentes? What is a Groyper? And How Is Red Scare’s Dasha Nekrasova Involved?

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Nick Fuentes has spent five years building not only a name for himself but an army of his own to fight in what the far right incel community has dubbed the groyper war. The live streamer uses his platform, America First, to push for an ultra conservative agenda not just among his peers but with actual political figures too.

In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina track the impact of Fuentes and the groypers on the Trump administration, the faux deplatforming of alt right darlings like Red Scare's Dasha Nekrasova and why we need to rally against the widening of the Overton window.

Check out https://www.squarespace.com/POLYESTER10 to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code POLYESTER10.

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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 Having A Boyfriend Embarrassing Now? Dissecting The Essay That Set The Internet Ablaze

Mon, 10 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT

The internet, left and right leaning, has been set ablaze by a ragebait headline and a deep dive into our dating practices or rather, our online posting of our burgeoning and established relationships. The British Vogue article, titled 'Is It Embarrassing To Have A Boyfriend' feels like harkening back to an earlier time on the internet, when one op-ed could get everyone talking about one topic and in this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina take their lens to the comms on courtship.

Do we want our favourite influencers to remain perpetually single? Are we once bitten, twice shy about men after the scary stories we hear about dating online? And is any of this influenced by the rise of nuclear family and trad wife rhetoric shared repeatedly by the alt right?

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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.

Let’s Talk About Lily Allen's New Album, West End Girl

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT

West End Girl has taken the internet by storm as Lily Allen returns to the charts with a new confessional album dissecting the relationship breakdown between her and ex husband David Harbour. From the extremely detailed lyrics to the, well, even more extremely detailed lyrics, fans are thrilled to get fully behind the curtain of everything that's gone wrong in Allen’s marriage.

In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina dig into the album, asking whether encouraging parasocial relationships is a marketing ploy, how influencer culture has changed the landscape of songwriting and why more cynicism is required when listening to pop music.

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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.

Cute Debt - Is Klarna Killing Our Self Esteem?

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Would you rather one payment of $150 or three monthly payments of $50? Is this pizza basically free if I pay $4 for a few months rather than twelve bucks at once? As the famously moral financial institution CashApp once said, “Little payments are so much cuter.”

In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina look at the rise of "cute debt" - the monicker given to Buy Now, Pay Later schemes that pointedly target young women - discussing how the dangers of debt have been replaced by the glamorisation of Klarnamaxxing, whether we should trust these brands to budget for us and why shopping addictions aren't treated sincerely in society.

Check out https://www.squarespace.com/POLYESTER10 to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code POLYESTER10.

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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 Kim Kardashian’s Pubic Wigs Are So Depressing

Sun, 19 Oct 2025 23:00:00 GMT

2025 has been the year of the pube, from bushtok going viral for promoting an overgrown mon pubis to the sold out SKIMS merkins that Kim Kardashian launched last week, we can't stop talking about our intimate hair - or lackthereof.

While some point to the Margiela couture show last year that promoted fake pubic freedom for the rise in intimate hair's popularity in the zeitgeist, this week's episode looks at the wider implications that the Kardashian pube thong represents. Tackling the fashion week shows that limited body types and compromised movement for models alongside the lingerie launch, hosts Ione and Gina ask whether there's been a worse time for feminism in fashion.

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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.

On Taylor Swift's Biggest Flop To Date: ‘The Life Of a Showgirl’ Dissected

Sun, 12 Oct 2025 23:00:00 GMT

The reception to Taylor Swift’s twelfth studio album has been markedly different than historic fan reactions; as Swifties and Swift haters unite to deliver the best meme about how bad the new music is.

In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina dissect the poorly received Charli xcx diss track, why the album’s lyricism has fallen flat, and whether just how rubbish The Life Of a Showgirl is indicates how an ardently capitalist point of view rots the joy out of good pop music.

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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 Harry Potter Worth Human Rights Violations? The Emma Watson Vs. JK Rowling Debacle Dissected

Sun, 05 Oct 2025 23:00:00 GMT

It doesn't take much to goad JK Rowling into a Twitter tirade these days (allegedly.) A fake news story about bra buying in Markses? Up for days raving about it? A former colleague gives a milquetoast response about differing opinions and expresses love towards her? Time to take advantage of the X Premium perk of no word count limit. Pronouns in bio? Great opportunity to go berserk.

In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina get to grips with the ongoing dissonance between actors signing up for Harry Potter related roles and their supposed ethical standards, whether or not we should want previous Potter stars to stand up in the press against Rowling's views and if we should promote the 'accepting differences and loving each other' rhetoric in such a politically dangerous time.

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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 Jimmy Kimmel A Martyr For Fascist America?

Sun, 28 Sep 2025 23:00:00 GMT

It's been an absolutely mental month for the US media and one face has emerged as the hero of free speech for the Left, a person none of us saw coming to the pulpit to expunge us of our sins: Jimmy Kimmel. The late night host was promptly reprimanded by being taken off the air after making light of Trump's lack of visible grief over the murder of Charlie Kirk, only to be quickly reinstated after mass boycotts across America following the firing.

In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina dig into the late stage capitalism that has monopolised media outlets in America, how conspiracy conversations are clouding our judgement and whether comparisons of the current Republican party to previous fascist regimes are eye opening or distracting.

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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.

Are We All Doomed To Have AI Boyfriends?

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 23:00:00 GMT

If over half of gen z have interacted with an AI companion and dating apps are rolling out bots to date on your behalf - where is the line drawn between real love and falling for a fantasy?

In this week's episode, Ione and Gina dig into the growing romantic relationships people are having with Replika, how AI companies are ignoring queerness, whether or not bot love is legitimate and why everyone is ignoring the ecological impact of AI chat bots.

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to leave from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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Is Woke Cool Again? Why The Dirtbag Left Are Pivoting

Sun, 14 Sep 2025 23:00:00 GMT

Another day, another Cumtown alumni going viral for doing something politically sound - from Adam Friedland's interview with Ritchie Torres to Stavros Halkias challenging his podcast guest on transphobic rhetoric, the former courters of controversy have apparently done a complete u turn on their previous edgelord output.

This week, hosts Ione and Gina take a look at what's made the most famous male members of the dirtbag left change their tune on social justice, whether 'dark woke' is working in terms of making the left cool again and whether the overton window for acceptability in politics is shrinking.

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

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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to leave from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’ve Had ENOUGH of The Performative Male

Sun, 07 Sep 2025 23:00:00 GMT

The newest evolution of softboi has just landed with the most on the nose name yet - the performative male. He reads Sylvia Plath outside indie coffee shops as he sips matcha. He has a Labubu and his Labubu has a cute nickname. He is a little bit Letterboxd famous and he calls his mother once a week. He's also the worst man you have ever dated in your life.

In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina get to grips with whether this new archetypal male is anything new, or if men have always manipulated what women want to get laid.

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to leave from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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Taylor Swift’s Engagement, Toxic Fandom, And The Death Of The Critic

Sun, 31 Aug 2025 23:00:00 GMT

It's been a bumper month for Taylor Swift - when is it not? - as she made her first ever podcast appearance, announced a new album and got engaged all within the space of a fortnight. As everyone online and off gears up for what will likely be a never ending news and meme cycle on the singer's upcoming nuptials, many quake in fear for what the Swift fandom are going to unleash on anyone who doesn't stan the songwriter in the upcoming months.

In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina use Swift/Kelce announcement to springboard a conversation on how pop music journalism died, when press tours became so sycophantic and what does it mean when even the most famous people alive can't be levied with any kind of thoughtful criticism.

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to leave from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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Ethel Cain vs. Lana Del Rey: Is This The Sad Girl Apocalypse?

Sun, 24 Aug 2025 23:00:00 GMT

Our favourite Americana girlies are fighting! Alligator wife Lana Del Rey aired her beef with American Teenager singer Ethel Cain to the public by sharing a snippet of an upcoming diss track entitled 'All About Ethel'. The lyrics call out Cain for hating her Instagram post, posing similarly with the pair's shared ex Jack Donoghue and trying to be the most famous girl at Waffle House. In the hours and days since, Nicki Minaj has waded into the beef, fans think they've worked out which Peter Griffin meme tweet pissed Lana off and Azealia Banks has accused every tongue that rises against Ethel of transphobia.

In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina get stuck into the nuances of stan wars, why certain artists get more leeway on being potentially problematic and whether or not the pair will work it out on the remix.

Buy tickets for our London issue launch here!

Check out https://www.squarespace.com/POLYESTER10 to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code POLYESTER10.

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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to leave from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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Why Does The Internet Keep Getting Worse? Ft. Slop Content, Brain Rot, & The Attention Economy

Sun, 17 Aug 2025 23:00:00 GMT

Slop content - AI generated videos and images created to bait engagement on social media content - is getting more and more unavoidable. Whether you’ve been duped by bunnies on trampolines or enthralled by a AI cat fronted soap opera; we face a social media landscape that's no longer fit for purpose.

This week, Ione and Gina dive into who benefits from the enshittification of the internet, why bots have taken over the comment section and how the bleakness of our feeds mirror the state of wider culture.

Buy tickets for our London launch here!

Read our Bad Taste Manifesto on WePresent 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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to leave from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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From The Tea App To Princess Treatment: How The Right Wing Agenda Is Poisoning The Dating Pool

Sun, 10 Aug 2025 23:00:00 GMT

Should you quiz your man on if he's doing princess treatment or the bare minimum? Are you allowed to look waiters in the eye or would that ruin you and your husband's night? Have you tried to check if your Hinge date is a creep and ended up getting doxxed by 4chan? If you're single and looking to mingle, these extreme situations - or, extreme online recommendations of how to act - are getting more and more commonplace.

In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina discuss how the right wing agenda is poisoning the dating pool, whether the widening politics of gen z men and women are affecting romance and why uploading your ID online is the opposite of a step towards a safe internet experience.

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to leave from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are Sydney Sweeney's Jeans The Harbinger Of Doom?

Sun, 03 Aug 2025 23:00:00 GMT

It's been over a year since we last spoke about Sydney Sweeney and how many online and off see the Euphoria actress as a MAGA spokeswoman. Her latest scandal - an American Eagle advert celebrating the blonde's "great genes" - cements Sweeney's spot as the right's poster child.

In this week's episode, recorded before that expose revealing Sweeney is a registered Republican - hosts Ione and Gina dig into how fast speed advertising has changed the role of celebrity, why brands are being more blunt about appealing to Trump fans and why we should be more comfortable in calling a spade a spade (or calling a eugenicist a eugenicist).

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to leave from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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Is It 'The Gen Z Stare' Or Have Young People Always Been Called Rude?

Sun, 27 Jul 2025 23:00:00 GMT

Just as the internet once spent years ripping into the minutia of what made up Millennial sociological habits and expression, now the younger generation is feeling the flack as social media takes the mickey out of 'the gen z stare'. The look itself is comprised of staring blankly when presented with a query, especially when in a work environment.

In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina ask whether young people have always been seen as rude or whether gen z have a particularly obvious feeling of apathy due to the lingering effects of COVID, the climate crisis and an inability to connect with one another. Are we on the brink of gen z being the main focus of online mockery or is it genuinely shocking that they don't say 'hello' upon answering a phone call?

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to leave from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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Our Verdict on Lena Dunham’s Too Much: Are We So Back Or Is The Rom Com Not Good Enough?

Sun, 20 Jul 2025 23:00:00 GMT

We're back from our (unplanned, sorry!!) break with a big one. Lena Dunham has returned to television with a Netflix series that many online are claiming to be as good as - or even better than - Girls, the much lauded HBO show that launched her career. Conversely, critics are writing scathing reviews for broadsheets about the portrayal of romance, women and London in the show. But which is it? And are our hosts impressed with the Megan Stalter fronted romcom?

This week, Ione and Gina get to grips with whether Too Much is hot or a flop: exploring the representation of class dynamics, the acclaim the series is receiving for fat representation, and questioning why Jess, the show's lead, has absolutely zero mates.

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to leave from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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The Summer Of Crashing Out: Justin Bieber, Cory's World And Tattle Life

Sun, 29 Jun 2025 23:00:00 GMT

Ding dong the witch is dead - in a Scooby Doo worthy unveiling, the 'Helen McDougal' that began infamous British influencer gossip forum has been unmasked as vegan influencer Sebastian Bond. In the aftermath, TikTokers like Cory's World are cashing in on the moment to detail exactly how hate on platforms like these and trolls across the board has affected their mental health. Following a similar through thread of crashing out, Justin Bieber is going viral almost daily for his Instagram antics, scraps with paparazzi and alleged ill feelings towards wife Hailey.

In this week's episode, our hosts Ione and Gina get to grips with the continuing normalisation of brutality in the comment section, how the expanding definition of celebrity has negative ramifications and the rising forms of surveillance we are all putting one another under.

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to leave from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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Labubu? Lafufu? LaTime Has Come To Stop This Nonsense

Sun, 22 Jun 2025 23:00:00 GMT

We're addressing the ~~elephant~~ kids toy in the room - the Labubu craze. You've definitely seen these monsters everywhere from exclusive brand collabs to Gemma Collins' Instagram reels to hanging off handbags while you wait in line at the cocktail bar. But where did they come from? And why is everyone going absolutely mad for the Pop Mart blind box item?

This week, our hosts Ione and Gina go head to head about the validity of Labubu collecting, the Lafufu fakes populating the market and why nobody is seeing the proliferation of this plush for what it is - just another trend in a long legacy of popular toy collecting.

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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.

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Yes, We’re Talking About Sabrina Carpenter’s Album Cover

Sun, 15 Jun 2025 23:00:00 GMT

Freeze! The Polyester Podcast had a whole episode planned for our lovely listeners until Sabrina Carpenter delivered us feminist discourse on a silver platter, or rather, on a silver dog leash. On Wednesday, the singer announced her forthcoming summer album titled 'Man's Best Friend' along with artwork picturing Sabrina on all fours having her hair pulled by an anonymous suited figure.

Is the cover art a clever continuation of Carpenter's satirisation of female sexuality or are we being conned into embracing misogynistic portrayals of women again in the mainstream? This week, hosts Ione and Gina get into the nitty gritty of the discourse; from pop star sensuality, to ‘puriteens’ and the continuing poison of choice feminism on our ability to think critically.

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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.

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Kylie Jenner's Boob Job, Kris Jenner's Facelift & The Problem With Choice Feminism

Sun, 08 Jun 2025 23:00:00 GMT

Last week Kylie Jenner cemented her new identity as a ‘girl's girl’ revealing the specificities of her boob job while momager Kris chimed in with details of not just one face lift, but two of them. Are the KarJenners finally letting their guard down about how they crafted themselves in line with the modern beauty standards they've helped craft, or is it all a marketing ploy to win relatability brownie points for the family?

In this episode of The Polyester Podcast, hosts Ione and Gina are ripping apart the rampant normalisation of plastic surgery on social media - considering the actual statistics surrounding cosmetic procedures as well as the status of people turning their treatments into consumable content. Is self improvement culture to blame for our warped understanding of bodily autonomy? Has choice feminism poisoned all of our brains? And will our collective self esteem ever recover from the impact of influencers?

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to leave from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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Skinnytok, Crunchy Teens , & The Return Of Pro Ana Content

Sun, 01 Jun 2025 23:00:00 GMT

The writing has been on the wall for a while - Thin is in, pop songs are referencing eating disorders and flexing our ribcages in selfies and fashion content is back full force. In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina get stuck into the spectre that has been haunting social media platforms for the past six months and more - the pervasive return of pro ana content, now newly dubbed #Skinnytok.

From influencers like Liv Schmidt launching secret members clubs with tips on cutting calorie counts to crunchy teens falling hook, line and sinker for Robert F. Kennedy Jr's Make America Healthy Campaign to hyper focus on their food intake, the internet is riddled in body negative language that stands to harm us all.

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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.

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Where Are The Thinkers? Why Pop Culture Feels Doomed Right Now

Sun, 25 May 2025 23:00:00 GMT

Currently trending on TikTok, FKA Twigs is going viral for an interview in which she asks the host and the crowd - "Where are the thinkers?"

While internet users raise eyebrows at her question, one that ignores the socioeconomic conditions that affect our ability to create, this week our hosts Ione and Gina use the soundbite to discuss the wider problem at hand - when did pop culture turn into such a flopfest? We deep dive into the continuing escalation of how we consume media - from smashing that 1.5x speed button to the sheer amount of content available - and what effect it has on the creation of meaningful culture.

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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.

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Is Ovulation Making You Horny Or Is It Fascist To Think So?

Sun, 18 May 2025 23:00:00 GMT

The girlies are going feral across the internet - one one hand, Lorde is calling ovulation the best drug she’s ever taken. On the other, TikTok’s reveal during ovulation many of us get uncontrollably horny. But is it true? Do our hormones control our libidos and cognition or do we have more free will than that? TikTok wellness huns are using pseudoscience to back up their claims, while Twitter feminists take to their feeds to fight back against the dehumanising nature of having our personalities attributed to hormone cycles.

In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina pick apart the inherent bio-essentialism of ovulation discourse, the alt right's push for focusing on fertility and how these conversations feel like a step back for women.

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to leave from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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Not Everything is a Recession Indicator

Sun, 11 May 2025 23:00:00 GMT

Black tights under denim shorts? Recession indicator. Good outfits at the Met Gala? Recession indicator. Crying because you can't afford to pay your one in three Klarna payment for a Domino's pizza last month? Recession indicator.

This week, our hosts Ione and Gina are dissecting our latest impulse to jump at the chance to label every single behaviour a recession indicator. Is it an attempt to make a meaningful connection with others about struggling under benefit cuts and Trump's tariffs? Or an irony tinged dodge at having to accept how bad things are?

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to leave from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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Is Jojo Siwa Letting Down Lesbians Or Are We Over Intellectualising Reality TV?

Mon, 05 May 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Who'd have thought at the announcement of this year's Celebrity Big Brother cast that the two people being chatted about the most are Jojo Siwa and ex-Love Islander Chris Hughes. If you didn't know - the pair's intimate friendship in the house caused chaos on social media as many accused Jojo of emotionally cheating on her partner, the Neighbours actor Kath Ebbs.

In this week's episode, our hosts Ione and Gina break down Jojo's complicated time in the limelight from Dance Moms to coming out to now, what queer celebrities owe to the communities they represent and why we all keep taking reality telly at face value.

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to leave from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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We Live in Hell ft: Katy Perry In Space, AI Selfie Dolls And The Great Teeth Debacle

Sun, 20 Apr 2025 23:00:00 GMT

It's been a helluva week for the news cycle and our social feeds - Katy Perry's been on Amazon's first, girls only, space trip (for exactly 11 minutes), Aimee Lou Wood has taken to Instagram stories to call out an off colour joke about herself on Saturday Night Live and everyone has taken to ChatGPT to generate extremely specific and fairly ugly blister packed dolls of themselves. Stuck between which to cover, we decided to dig into it all.

In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina take apart everything wrong with the Blue Origin rocket trip that took an all female crew into space on the 14th April including the environmental impact, classism implications and faux feminism the journey's being marketed as. After the break, the pair get into the cringe inducing AI created dolls so many of our peers are posting on the Insta as well as the disheartening SNL impersonation that's caused distress for The White Lotus actress Aimee Lou Wood.

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to leave from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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Are You 'Too Pretty to Work', or Just a Victim Of Alt Right Psyops?

Sun, 13 Apr 2025 23:00:00 GMT

"I'm too pretty to work." "This face wasn't meant to know excel." "Looking for a man who doesn't want me to work." On the surface these adages are silly throwaways in the face of a late capitalist work culture that has made trying to make a living a literal hellscape - or are they?

In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina take apart the trend of dreaming for a rich husband and reckon with a not too distant past where women's liberation was inherently linked with being financially independent. Is it tradwife rhetoric that's making us romanticise reliance on a spouse? Can work ever be empowering? And what do we lose from seeing beauty as a requirement for a good life?

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to leave from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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Adolescence: TV Event Of The Year, Or Too Little Too Late?

Sun, 06 Apr 2025 23:00:00 GMT

Just like clockwork, a gritty British Netflix drama about a taboo topic is doing the rounds - last year it was Baby Reindeer and this year it's Adolescence. The Stephen Graham produced and fronted programme takes a look at how the manosphere and incel culture are corrupting a whole generation of teenage boys - but does it manage the subject well?

In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina discuss whether or not the TV show does a good job of exploring the radicalisation of young men, whether or not it should be shown as part of the curriculum and why we shouldn't totally dismiss telly that gets people talking about underrepresented issues.

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to leave from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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Why is Labour Using Disabled People to Peddle The Lie of The Benefit Thief?

Sun, 30 Mar 2025 23:00:00 GMT

If there's one scapegoat the government loves to roll out when it's doing poorly, it's the benefits thief. This imaginary person uses loopholes and caveats to steal tax money to buy themselves tellies and holidays in Lanzarote. In the UK, the new-ish-ly elected Labour party has announced new budget reforms that plays into this trope with an especially sinister new edge - tightening the pursestrings of the benefit system specifically against disabled people.

In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina break down what's actually being proposed by our Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, the need to work being framed as life's purpose and the ableism that has always been inherent in capitalist society.

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to leave from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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We Trialled The Morning Shed So You Don’t Have To

Mon, 24 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMT

You must've seen some form of this morning routine on your feed in the last six months: A woman removing a chin strap, mouth tape, sheet mask, lip stain, silk bonnet, heatless curling rod and/or nose magnets with a caption explaining how 'the morning shed' saves them time, helps regulate breathing and, ‘most importantly’, aids the de-aging process.

While we thought we were past the point of portraying skincare as self love, this week our hosts Ione and Gina try out the morning shed for themselves and report back on whether the trend is a bit of fun, actually useful, a load of bollocks or a lie in and of itself.

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to leave from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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Why Is Gen Z Suddenly Jealous Of Millennials?

Mon, 17 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Pass me my moustache print mug and 3D glasses with the lenses popped out because millennial cringe is finally being lauded online. The latest meme du jour - 'I would be a great millennial. I was born to write Buzzfeed quizzes and listen to Ke$ha' - has been a beacon of light in a social media landscape previously used to bully milliennials at every chance.

This week, hosts Ione and Gina look at the past, present and future of millennial nostalgia, how Lena Dunham's Girls is recontextualising the early 2010s and why hipsters don't exist anymore.

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to leave from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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Society Has Never Hated Fat People As Much As We Do Right Now

Mon, 10 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMT

To celebrate the release of Gina's memoir Greedy Guts, this episode hosts Ione and Gina get to grips with the current state of fat liberation. Is body positivity too commodified to be salvageable? Are people scared of fatness due to lingering Covid scaremongering resentment? Will GLP-1 injections end fat existence entirely?

Join Ione and Gina as they reckon with what it means to be fat in what is potentially the most fatphobic time to be alive in history.

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to leave from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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How The Left Turned On Woke

Mon, 03 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMT

In a new interview, singer songwriter Sam Fender claimed he understood why young white men from Northern towns are being radicalised by misogynist social media influencers like Andrew Tate - it's because they're being accused of having privilege. In similarly convoluted language, Novara Media has rage baited the nation by releasing content claiming Woke Is Dead to promote Ash Sarkar's new book that includes questions on the effectiveness of identity politics.

All in all, it feels like the left is turning its back on being societally progressive in order to win click bait points in the culture war and in this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina ask why leftist figureheads are so happy to sell out their marginalised comrades in favour of media attention.

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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.

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The Bianca Censori Deep Dive: a Victim, Empowered, or a Secret Third Thing?

Mon, 24 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMT

At the start of this month Bianca Censori and her husband Kanye West courted controversy at the 67th Grammy Awards with a stunt that they've become fairly renowned for - brazen female nudity. The act got them allegedly kicked out of the award show and made waves across social media as many rushed to put words into the notoriously mute Bianca's mouth. Across the board, people wonder publicly if Kanye's wife is a a victim of coercive abuse or a performance artist in her own right.

In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina explore Bianca's backstory, get to grips with the repercussions of assigning someone as an abuse victim without their input and question what it is precisely about Bianca's styling choices that inspire such extreme reactions from the press and the public.

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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.

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Why Are Slurs Suddenly ‘Cool’ Again?

Mon, 17 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Each week we are greeted with new flash photos of Young Republicans celebrating, Trump government rulings, and regressive Conservatives embracing their right to say slurs as often as they can. But why are our left leaning peers, Oscar winning movies and Twitter pals using the R word so casually too?

This week, hosts Ione and Gina dissect the politics of language, the pendulum swing to being anti-Woke and why everyone feeling apathetic about the impact of slurs needs to take a good, long, hard look at themselves.

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to leave from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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Surrogacy: Important And Vital Or Unethical And Classist?

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMT

In the midst of Trump causing high hell for everything he can regarding reproductive rights Stateside, one birth announcement caused massive controversy on the grid - a post by Lily Collins and Charlie McDowell welcoming their daughter to the world via a surrogate mother.

Twitter users went wild on both sides of the coin; one half defending the couple's right to surrogacy, referencing queer families and infertility as reasons that this method of childbirth is an inherent right, the other asking why any of us feel entitled to having kids, especially at the cost of using another person's body to make it happen. In this week's episode hosts Ione and Gina dig deep into the process of surrogacy, the morality behind reproduction as well as the reasons why this conversation is coming up in our current political climate.

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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.

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Bonnie Blue, Lily Phillips & a New Era of Sex Work as Competitive Sport

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMT

There's been two OnlyFans stars absolutely dominating (not literally, actually) the UK tabloid headlines, Twitter trending topics bar and the girls' group chats in the past eight weeks, and their names are Bonnie Blue and Lily Phillips. The latter kicked off December's discourse by starring in a YouTube documentary about having sex with 100 men in a day while the former stole the show by live-blogging her own sex marathon, shagging 1000 blokes in 24 hours.

The acts have led to condemnations across the board from SWerfs and incels to the alt right and This Morning hosts. Should we be worried about what acts like these mean for female objectification? Why is everyone only worried about the ramifications of sex work when middle class, white women do it? And why do we suddenly believe all porn is real?

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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.

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Fashion Goes Fascist: Melania Trump Isn’t Slaying, You Just Have Brainworms

Mon, 27 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT

In a stark contrast to Trump's first inauguration as president in 2016, this month's event became a showcase for fashion houses wanting to dress the Republican party's top ladies. Not only that, but the fashion press and style influencers took to Instagram stories and long read columns to praise the looks presented throughout the festivities.

In this week's episode, Ione and Gina analyse how irony fuelled style choices led us to open acceptance of fascist leaders in the fashion industry, what sartorial celebration of the alt right signifies and why we should be extra wary of sharing Melania Hamburglar memes.

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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.

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Female Sexuality is Taking Over The Box Office; But Are Nosferatu and Babygirl Even Any Good?

Mon, 20 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Is Count Orlok sexy? Or is Babygirl not sexy enough? With both films focus on female yearning - as well as the same US release date - Nosferatu and Babygirl have been paired together in the public consciousness. This week, hosts Ione and Gina dissect Barbenheimer part two; from sexy monsters and film discourse Twitter, to glugging milk and cringe worthy needle drops.

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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.

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How Elon Musk Became Such A Pathetic Villain

Mon, 13 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT

We've finally gone and done it, our official breakdown of our generation's Scrooge McDuck, Elon Musk. From saying he wants to destroy the ‘woke virus’ and spreading racist conspiracy theories on X, to pushing right-wing ideologies in the US, Germany and the UK - Elon’s moved from being a punch-line in a joke about Grimes to being a serious political actor.

In this week’s episode, hosts Ione and Gina dive into Elon’s full history and answer the big questions. How is he using his wealth to influence politics? How has he transitioned from a left-leaning tech CEO to an alt-right icon? And is he using his son X Æ A-12 as a child-sized assassination shield?

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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Blake Lively Versus Justin Baldoni: Dissecting The 'It Ends With Us' Legal Battles

Mon, 06 Jan 2025 10:12:48 GMT

Last summer, we covered the dramatic press tour for the on screen adaptation of Colleen Hoover's novel It Ends With Us, digging into the speculation surrounding a beef between co-leads Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. Over the Christmas break the story exploded, as Lively and Baldoni filed lawsuits detailing not just the drama but levying accusations of on set abuse, social media smear campaigns and more. In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina question whether we are on the precipice of #MeToo round two.

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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.

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The Definitive 2025 Ins and Outs List: No Style As Personal Style, AI, Timothée Chalamet & More

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:07 GMT

Surprise!! As new year looms and as the internet declares in/out lists over, Ione and Gina share theirs for 2025. Will it be Lady Gaga's year? Is AI going rogue? Why are all the influencer girlies embracing having no taste? Should video content be longer or shorter? And are tabis finally over? Tune in to this extra special long episode to find out!

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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.

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Have Bag Charms and Blind Boxes Killed Personal Style?

Mon, 02 Dec 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Are you an Anik Anik girly or are you misappropriating cultural language as an excuse to buy more stuff? Whether you love or loathe blind boxes, this year we’ve all become obsessed with collecting bits and bobs - with the internet fiercely debating the ‘right’ type of knick knacks. In our final episode of the year, hosts Ione and Gina dig into the chaotic customisation trend and discuss why we’re all pinning self worths on the bag charms we’ve accumulated in 2024.

We're working with Hinge to our listeners to refresh their profiles for the new year ahead, focusing on the prompt 'This year I really want to...' #hingepartner

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Holding Space For The Unhinged Wicked Press Tour

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:35 GMT

As two members of the queer media, this week Ione and Gina are taking the lyrics of Defying Gravity, and taking a deep dive into the most mind boggling film rollout of 2024. From the holding of a singular acrylic nail that broke the internet, to Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s friendship, we’re left questioning what the hell Wicked is about to warrant all of this anyway.

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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.

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Is Giving Up Men a Form of Political Resistance?

Mon, 18 Nov 2024 00:00:02 GMT

The 4B movement is a South Korean fringe feminist movement operating on four principles - Bihon (no to heterosexual marriage), Bichulsan (no to childbirth), Biyeonae (no to dating), and Bisekseu (no to heterosexual sexual relationships) - the aim being to remove women from patriarchal lifestyles.

After the announcement of Trump's win in the American election on the 5th November, women in the States have been making the 4B movement trend across Twitter and TikTok as they consider this kind of lifestyle as an act of protest to the election result. In this week's episode, Ione and Gina dissect the ethics of the use of the practice by Western feminists, the extreme reactions of alt right men across social media to the Trump win as well as the under discussed gen z Republican women who voted this year.

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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.

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Is Online Superiority & The Irony Epidemic Rotting Our Brains?

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 00:00:07 GMT

How many times a day do you - publicly or privately - berate someone online for being worse than you? From Halsey calling out critics to Pitchfork doing the aforementioned critiquing and Ethel Cain telling us to cut the irony - this week Ione and Gina are discussing how social media has made us all into holier than thou nightmares.

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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.

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Sabrina Carpenter, Pedobaiting And The Infantilisation Of Adult Women

Mon, 28 Oct 2024 00:00:04 GMT

Sabrina Carpenter's 'Short n' Sweet' tour is off to a (literal) bang as right wing parents and TikTok teens are up in arms over Carpenter wearing lingerie on stage, claiming her costume is too sexual for her underage audience. Simultaneously on SWERF twitter, a new term has reared its head: Pedobaiting.

Is the internet combining the Madonna/Whore complex to produce a new kind of sexism? Is this all because of decades of a cultural infantilisation of adult women? This week Ione and Gina get to terms with the issues facing female sexual expression in a post Qanon landscape.

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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.

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Tavi Gevinson on Influencers, Old vs New Media & Performativity

Sun, 20 Oct 2024 23:00:22 GMT

This week Ione and Gina are joined for an extra special long episode with writer, actor, producer and all round internet legend Tavi Gevinson! The three centre their conversation around class differences in the dying days of influencer culture, the changing face of fandom, and the performance of life online.

Tavi's newest project, the Audible Original series Glimpses Of The Moon, an adaptation of the 1922 Edith Wharton novel of the same name, is available to listen to now.

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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.

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How Rage Bait Replaced Moral Compasses

Sun, 13 Oct 2024 23:00:15 GMT

Is it cynical to question if podcasts are being recorded just to get viral social media clips? And is it ironic that we're saying that on OUR podcast?

This week, hosts Ione and Gina delve into the murky ethics of posing questions around sex work and marriage to self promote, the need for having a definite opinion over admitting nuance and whether we're all individualising theory far too much.

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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.

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Celebrity Culture Is Dead and Fandom Killed It

Sun, 06 Oct 2024 23:00:21 GMT

Last week The Last Dinner Party caught major heat from fans after security at their show screened cis male attendees. Meanwhile across the pond, Billie Eilish stans are overstepping boundaries by hurling abuse at her team over the Birds Of A Feather music video. And as usual, Chappell Roan devotees are being little bastards.

This week, Ione and Gina are delving into the death knell surrounding celebrity culture and asking what has caused stans to wade into unhinged - and unsafe - territory.

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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.

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Sally Rooney, Post Individualism and How Marketing Became a Part of Culture

Sat, 28 Sep 2024 23:00:00 GMT

Has the internet killed our sense of self? Why are the advertising campaigns for films, albums and books lauded more than the art itself? And can everyone leave Sally Rooney alone already? This week Ione and Gina are dissecting how creativity and marketing became so intertwined - as well as how social media made Mad Men of us all.

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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.

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Body Horror, Beauty Standards, & The Substance as a Feminist Masterpiece

Sun, 22 Sep 2024 23:00:34 GMT

This week we've partnered with MUBI to bring you an extra special live episode from HOME Manchester to dig into The Substance - Coralie Fargeat’s flamboyant body horror that provocatively lambasts beauty standards with killer performances from legends Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley. Ione and Gina look at the film's use of the male gaze, the meta commentary of the casting as well as the inherent value of embracing being a gross girl.

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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.

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Summer Catch Up: Chappell Roan, Nikocado Avocado, Harry Potter Castings And Taylor Swift's Politics

Sun, 15 Sep 2024 23:00:34 GMT

The Polyester Podcast is back after a couple of episodes break so our hosts could go on holidays and for this extra special episode Ione and Gina are digging into all of the discourse we missed in the past month.

We're giving our two cents on the burning topics that have plagued our feeds recently, like is Taylor Swift supporting Kamala Harris genuinely? Why won't the Harry Potter franchise die already? Who the hell is Nikocado Avocado and can everyone please be normal about Chappell Roan for once?

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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.

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The Dark Chaos Of The 'It Ends With Us' Press Tour

Sun, 18 Aug 2024 23:00:45 GMT

Our feeds have been overrun with a new celeb squabble as the press rollout for the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's 'It Ends With Us' goes absolutely tits up. Both TikTok and X users have spent the last week picking apart the behind the scenes drama between producer and star Blake Lively and producer, director and star Justin Baldoni.

Is Blake giving feminism a bad name? Was Justin's vision steamrollered by Ryan Reynolds? And why has Justin hired Johnny Depp’s crisis PR? In this week's episode, Ione and Gina get stuck into the nuances (or lack thereof) of the latest Hollywood spat to captivate our feeds.

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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.

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The Spirituality Girly To Alt Right Pipeline

Sun, 11 Aug 2024 23:00:00 GMT

How does embracing your divine feminine turn into an interest in eugenics? Are conspiracy theories making hippies move away from liberal spirituality and towards alt right ideals? This week, hosts Ione and Gina are dissecting the history of Goddess feminism, Elon Musks's mission to populate Mars and the similarities between trad wives and flower children.

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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.

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So… We Got Cancelled

Sun, 04 Aug 2024 23:00:15 GMT

Last week, Polyester suffered a great injustice on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter as right wing journalists piled on our humble hosts for sharing a pitch call out. This week, Ione and Gina dissect the discourse surrounding publishing industry standards, the declining state of the media industry, and the need to be right on social media.

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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.

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Is Kamala Brat? How The Politician Memed Herself Into A Presidential Candidate

Mon, 29 Jul 2024 00:00:42 GMT

The Kamalanomenon is here. You think you just fell out of the coconut tree? This week, hosts Ione and Gina break down how brat summer, among other Kamala memes, morphed from gen z nihilistic irony into millennial girlboss earnestness - and how the memeification of politics affects us all.

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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.

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Underconsumption Core, Recession Pop & Projecting Meaning Onto Poverty

Sun, 21 Jul 2024 23:00:00 GMT

Does a crap economy spawn better music? And should being frugal be a trend, a lifestyle choice or just a case of bloody getting on with things? This week, hosts Ione and Gina dig into the self narration that has been bred into us by social media and whether, during the worst recession we've weathered as adults, we should be romanticising our shampoo purchases.

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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.

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Hawk Tuah Girl, Mixed Weight Relationships and The Rise In Dehumanising Women Online

Sun, 14 Jul 2024 23:00:30 GMT

It seems as though its never been worse to be a woman participating in the discourse. The Hawk Tuah girl has used her blowjob technique to become a star; cashing in on the viral moment with a merch line, a manager and a possible documentary. But while she makes bank, the alt right have commodified her into a figurehead - once again proclaiming any woman with blonde hair and big tits as their own.

Across the pond, the the left seems to be just as pitiful - as indie fashion brands release ironic 'I <3 Ozempic' t-shirts, and seemingly feminist articles ascribe individual actions political buzzwords, resulting in the death of any kind of progressive discourse. Add 'mixed weight' relationship discourse into the mix, and our hosts have had enough. Will we ever stop reducing women to their bodies? Tune in to find out!

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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.

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Aura Points, Looksmaxxing And The Warped Morality Of TikTok Trends

Sun, 07 Jul 2024 23:00:25 GMT

Fell over getting off the bus? Minus one hundred aura points. Discovered a band before your mates? Plus one thousand aura points. The new AP ranking system has taken TikTok by storm as teens rush to reveal the coolest and most harrowing moments in their lives to get engagement, sympathy and much coveted aura. Meanwhile incel rhetoric has once again broken free from the underbelly of the internet's forums to give men body dysmorphia via looksmaxxing. Through analysing both trends, hosts Ione and Gina reckon with the fact that it seems that the male gaze has finally started to corrupt how men see themselves and ask the question if self-commodification has reached a head.

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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.

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Why The 2024 General Election Is So Depressing

Sun, 30 Jun 2024 23:00:02 GMT

We're all desperate to get the tories out, but for the first time in our hosts lives as voters, there's been an inescapable apathy in the air. As it seems certain that Labour will take over as the new British government, is it time to vote independent or spoil the ballot? This week Ione and Gina are getting knee deep in the culture war that's surrounding election year, discussing the pros and cons of voting for different parties and why our generation is feeling so miserable about it all.

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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.

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The Brat Deep Dive

Sun, 23 Jun 2024 23:00:05 GMT

The name on everybody's lips is: Charli XCX. The musician's sixth studio album Brat dropped this month and all of a sudden everything is Brat. But while we continue to wonder if every lime green car is planted by charli herself or just pure coincidence, in this week's episode, Ione and Gina are taking on the behemoth Brat marketing rollout.

Is this is truly Charli's most relatable album yet? Or does the music itself not match up to the genius of its rollout?

P.S - we recorded this before the Lorde remix dropped!!

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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.

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Literary It Girls, BookTok And The Complicated History of Men Watching Women Reading

Sun, 16 Jun 2024 23:00:47 GMT

This week we've partnered with the Fitzwilliam Museum to take on the internet's renewed interest in all things literary. Inspired by the museum's rehang, where one portion of the Interiors gallery depicts women reading throughout the years, Ione and Gina talk through the oxymoronic literary it girl trend, the insidious nature of BookTok and the historical triumphs involved in female literacy.

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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.

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The 'All Eyes On Rafah' Viral Image And How AI Is Turning Us Into Boomers

Sun, 09 Jun 2024 23:00:51 GMT

The past two weeks have seen a new debate arise in the world of online activism - what is the place of AI in conversations around raising awareness of important political issues? In this episode, Ione and Gina ask whether all is fair in getting All Eyes On Rafah or if we need to be cautious of the intentions behind those creating viral images to be shared across social media.

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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.

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Why Is Everyone 'Neurospicy' Now? On The Individualisation Of Neurodivergence Online

Sun, 26 May 2024 23:00:41 GMT

Is it five signs you may have ADHD or is it five vague symptoms that could be applicable to anyone? In this week's episode, Ione and Gina are diving into the way that TikTok - and the internet in general - has made being neurodivergent a personality trait, a subculture and a community in and of itself. The pair look at the pros and cons of sharing information on having a condition, how this affects wider society and whether or not we should be worrying about the uptick in social media users centring their lives around being neurospicy.

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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Blockout2024 And How Social Media Gamified Political Issues

Sun, 19 May 2024 23:00:42 GMT

Following the luxury of the Met Gala - and one influencer's mistimed 'Let Them Eat Cake" lip synch - the internet is demanding action from the celebrity class in response to the ongoing genocide in Palestine. The #BlockOut2024 encourages social media users to block celebrities and cut short their income streams until they voice their opinion on the conflict - but is this a useful form of activism or just virtue signalling from people hoping to win the game of social media? This week Ione and Gina are getting into the pros and cons of digital activism, celeb altruism and the internet's dilution of what it means to be politically active.

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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Polyamory - Empowering Or Embarrassing?

Sun, 12 May 2024 23:00:00 GMT

The day has finally come, the question has been asked and our hosts are ready to tackle the query of a generation: Why is everyone polyamorous now? Taking into account everything from the free love movement to tax breaks for married couples, Ione and Gina get to the bottom of why some people find a bad taste in their mouths in non monogamy discourse.

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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AI Girlfriends are Here to Turn us into Baby Making Machines

Sun, 05 May 2024 23:00:37 GMT

Recently, Twitter was set ablaze by another creepy move by the incel community: AI generated women to have sex with while pumping into a boxed fleshlight. The viral video, which promises to put an end to declining birth rates, has sparked debates on the morality of combining intimacy with AI; and in this week's episode, Ione and Gina are getting into the root of it all. Is it gamification? Is it fetish content? And what does gene warfare even mean?

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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Baby Reindeer And How Social Media Has Made Sociopaths Of Us All

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 23:00:00 GMT

It's been less than three weeks since Netflix dropped the true crime, true story drama Baby Reindeer and the discourse surrounding the show feels inescapable. As internet sleuths take it upon themselves to wreak vigilante justice on the real life people the series was based on, those who know Richard Gadd - the writer and star of Baby Reindeer - suffer the consequences. Is it a failure in safeguarding or a marketing ploy? Is this the final form of parasocial relationships? In this week's episode Ione and Gina are picking apart how social media's obsession with true crime has truly killed any kind of empathy and nuance we have for one another.

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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Chappell Roan, Jojo Siwa And How Lesbians Took Over Pop Music

Sun, 21 Apr 2024 23:00:47 GMT

The second weekend of Coachella has confirmed it: Chappell Roan is the lesbian pop star the world has been waiting for. Roan is one of a generation of pop girlies paving the way for sapphic representation in the mainstream - from Jojo Siwa to Renee Rap, we are truly in a queer woman power hour for music. In this week's episode, Ione and Gina break down what is so appealing about Roan's output, whether queer visibility is a good thing and why the culture has been longing for explicitly lesbian lyricism.

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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The Zoe App, Ozempic and Individualist Healthcare Won't Save You

Sun, 14 Apr 2024 23:00:36 GMT

By tracking our blood glucose levels, harvesting our eggs and banking our collagen are we hacking the health system or are we contributing to the privatisation of NHS services and discrimination of chronically ill and disabled people? Who actually benefits from us following the inner workings of our bodies online? Will the horrors ever end? In this week's episode Ione and Gina are tacking our current obsession with making health a lifestyle choice.

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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Terrible parties, self obsessed co-workers & the cinematic lie of a glamorous media career

Sun, 07 Apr 2024 23:00:00 GMT

In 2024, are journalist and editor roles a privilege or meaningless? Last week a Substack essay went viral for calling media parties boring and this week Ione and Gina are having it out about whether roles in the media are still as fun, exciting and covetable as Sex and the City and every 00s Rom Com presented them to be - and more importantly do they even need to be? Is a job a job or should we be proud of our professions?

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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Sydney Sweeney's Boobs Are Not A Political Playground

Sun, 31 Mar 2024 23:00:46 GMT

'Sydney Sweeney's blonde hair and big jugs are a sign of the end of wokeness!' is a sentence that is unfortunately being touted legitimately by the right wingers who yearn for the day of toxic beauty standards and Y2K celebrity scrutiny. In this week's episode, Ione and Gina are digging into how the Euphoria actress' double Ds have become a point of contention across Twitter and beyond as many use the objectification of Sweeney's melons to signify a society taking steps backwards in their definitions of beauty.

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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Forget Girlhood, These Are The Days Of TERFhood

Mon, 25 Mar 2024 00:00:13 GMT

These are the days of girlhood - pink beer cans, bathtub breakdowns and picking up your meds. All trending topics that are highlighted in the debut track from Dylan Mulvaney, but why is the song receiving vitriol from TikTok teens, the alt right and the left? In this week's episode, Ione and Gina are defending the right of women to be frivolous, uncool and girly - and addressing the hypocrisy and hatred of Mulvaney’s critics.

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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How The People's Princess Toppled The It Girl

Mon, 18 Mar 2024 00:00:57 GMT

In a world where authenticity is lauded above all else in a celebrity's brand, how could the ever aloof It Girl ever survive? Is it parasocial relationships, red carpet q and a's or a need for relatability that ended the reign of the It Girl? This week Ione and Gina are digging into the new brand du jour - being the people's princess.

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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The Internet Sucks Now: Why Gen Z and Alpha Suffer From Learned Helplessness

Mon, 11 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Has short form media rotted our brains or is the future one without tech? With generations unable to use a printer, and our social platforms ridden with bots - it seems we're becoming increasingly disenfranchised with our digital lives. This week Ione and Gina are digging into what happens next when the internet and all its apps become unusable.

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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Live: How Priscilla by Sofia Coppola Uses Clothing as a Form Of Power, With Stacey Battat

Mon, 04 Mar 2024 00:01:01 GMT

Why is work that takes aesthetics seriously always considered vapid? This week, joining Ione and Gina live is Priscilla costume designer and frequent collaborator of Sofia Coppola, Stacey Battat. We discuss everything from costuming one of the most fashionable women in history, to working on low budget productions and utilising clothing within feminist films to further push unspoken narratives.

Recorded in partnership with MUBI to celebrate the launch of Sofia Coppola's Priscilla on streaming, watch Priscilla with 30 free days of MUBI here!

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Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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The Taylor Swift Tipping Point

Mon, 19 Feb 2024 00:00:29 GMT

Change is in the air for the start of 2024: Those who used to universally love Taylor Swift suddenly seem to be turning on her. Is it the far right convincing themselves that shes a psyop for the democrat party? Or the fact she’s producing more CO2 emissions in a year than most people would in their entire life? Maybe it’s her too good to be true whirlwind romance with Travis Kelce taking up headlines while war rages worldwide. In this episode, Ione and Gina are picking apart why the tide has finally turned on America’s sweetheart.

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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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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Why Are 10 Year Olds Engaging in Ten Step Skincare Routines? How The Cult Of Beauty Affects Us All

Mon, 12 Feb 2024 00:00:57 GMT

Have tweens always been this interested in beauty products? And how is ageism affected by classism?

In this extra special episode of the podcast, Ione and Gina are joined by writer, editor and brand strategist Funmi Fetto to discuss Wellcome Collection’s exhibition The Cult of Beauty. Tracking how we went from religious obsession with the visuals of virtuousness to generation alpha purchasing retinols, Funmi, Ione and Gina are asking why people have always been obsessed with looking good.

The Cult of Beauty is a free exhibition running until the 28th April 2024 at Wellcome Collection, more info here.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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The Final Boss Of TikTok Aesthetics: Is Mob Wife Glamour A Psyop?

Mon, 05 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Another day another seemingly innocuous trend borne from TikTok style videos - this week Ione and Gina are using mob wife glamour to get into the nitty gritty of hyper specific aesthetics. Is mob wife glamour a PR move by HBO for The Soprano's 25th Anniversary? Or a fast fashion ploy to shift some coats during the February sales? And why are we all, after all this time, still aspiring to be someone's wife? Join the two leopard print aficionados on deciding whether or not this resurgence of gaudy glamour is a good or bad thing for the girlies.

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The Eden Young Fellowship for Aspiring Working Class Journalists Raffle

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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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Have Stanley Cups Gone Too Far?

Mon, 29 Jan 2024 00:00:15 GMT

Do you have a Stanley Cup? Maybe like Gina, you own a different reusable cup for every occasion. Or perhaps you're more like Ione, who can't stand the sight of them. This week, the girls are fighting their corner as to whether the Stanley Cup craze is harmful or helpless. Should we let people enjoy things? Or is the aggressively feminised marketing and overconsumption something that should concern us all?

Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member <3

The Eden Young Fellowship for Aspiring Working Class Journalists Raffle

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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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Poor Things: Feminist Fable or Just Another Misogynistic Movie?

Mon, 22 Jan 2024 01:00:52 GMT

Poor Things discourse has taken over the internet; with Yorgos Lanthimos latest film being declared a masterpiece in one breath and a misogynistic let down in another. Can a film that traces the consequences of a baby’s brain being implanted into a grown woman’s body ever be called empowering? Or does the story of Bella Baxter - masterfully portrayed by Emma Stone - begin to make more sense when viewed through the lens of disability and privilege? Ione and Gina discuss all.

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The Eden Young Fellowship for Aspiring Working Class Journalists Raffle

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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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The Problem With The Memeification of Gypsy Rose Blanchard

Mon, 15 Jan 2024 15:40:12 GMT

From Fancams to Lana Del Rey comparisons - she's been the internet fixation for the past fortnight, but what does it mean for the culture that Gypsy Rose Blanchard has exited prison straight into global and meme fame? This week Ione and Gina are discussing the reaction to Gypsy's release, the terror that is the true crime industry, and how women are commodified then dropped in trend cycles that don't consider the real people they revolve around.

Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member <3

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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Definitive 2024 Ins And Outs List: Bows, Rich People Worship, Saying 2014 Is Back & More

Mon, 08 Jan 2024 01:00:00 GMT

Will 2024 give us hope or apathy? Which cartoon cat is due a comeback? And is the Instagram story a dead artform? To kick off the new year Ione and Gina are taking us through their ins and outs lists while reckoning with the question of if anyone has the authority to make hot or not calls for 2024 anyway.

Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member <3

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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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We'll see you in the new year <3

Mon, 11 Dec 2023 01:00:15 GMT

Hey everyone, for a variety of reasons, mostly that we all need a little break we'll be taking a few weeks off the podcast until the near year. Thank you for your support this year love you all! Have a lovely rest of the year and we'll see you in 2024 xxx

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Why We Hate Saltburn: Classism, Depravity And Why Rich People So Often Make Bad Art

Mon, 04 Dec 2023 00:00:01 GMT

Jacob Elordi in angel wings, period sex, and a MILF Rosamund Pike: Saltburn has been the film du jour but does it deserve its controversial accolades? Ione and Gina get into the many ways that Saltburn remains a contentious watch for most working class people, especially when audiences contextualise the movie through the writer and director, Emerald Fennel's gaze. While critics ask if Saltburn is lambasting the right people, our hosts wonder if this film successfully satirises anything at all.

Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member <3

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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dispatches From The Kardashian Simulacrum: The Ugliness Of Power

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 04:00:47 GMT

It's the season finale of The Kardashians and this series can be only summed up as self serving: Every single piece of imagery given in this series has been a medium to send a message: Scott's birthday party serves only to remind the audience that Kim used to grace the covers of canine magazines and now she has featured multiple times on the front of Vogue. But when will the family - made up of literal billionaires - stop positing themselves as underdogs? MJ and Marie Corey hypothesise that it's all down to the ugliness and villainy associated with power, the end goal of the KarJenners within a capitalist system.

Catch up with the season finale of our Kardashian podcast series! We've teamed up with the genius behind Kardashian Kolloquium, MJ Corey, and her sister Marie, to breakdown the world of The Kardashians week by week.

We've also introduced a new membership tier for fans of the pod. Support the podcast here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are You Girl Pretty Or Boy Pretty? How TikTok Brought Back Y2K Self Loathing

Mon, 27 Nov 2023 01:00:16 GMT

Another trend has spawned across TikTok and the site formally known as Twitter - Are you girl pretty or boy pretty? The difference largely lies in how you appeal to the male gaze as hosts Ione Gamble and Gina Tonic explore in this week's podcast episode. Have labels become limiting, do we need to care about our attractiveness or is this all a misogynistic psyop?

Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member <3

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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dispatches From The Kardashian Simulacrum: Who's Allowed To Criticise The Kardashians?

Thu, 23 Nov 2023 04:00:56 GMT

This week, The Kardashians are leaning into the uncanny valley nature of their narrative construction, taking us behind the scenes on Kourtney's pregnancy announcement and Kim and North debating fashion as she gets dressed for the Met.

Marie and MJ are questioning the hierarchies of who the family - and those around them - defers to. Is North being a brat or is she a creative with valid criticisms? Why do the Kardashians have so much respect for the traditional power structures in place around them? In a world where the KarJenners have posited themselves as world dominators, who gets to criticise the Kardashians and why is Kourtney so keen for it to be her?

Catch up with season two of our Kardashian podcast series! We've teamed up with the genius behind Kardashian Kolloquium, MJ Corey, and her sister Marie, to breakdown the world of The Kardashians week by week.

We've also introduced a new membership tier for fans of the pod. Support the podcast here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Live At the Barbican: How Feminism And Climate Change Are Irrevocably Linked

Mon, 20 Nov 2023 02:00:24 GMT

In an extra special live episode in collaboration with Barbican, we invited our art history columnist Zara Aftab to host a conversation with artist Rene Matic and journalist Diyora Shadijanova exploring their exhibition RE/SISTERS: A Lens on Gender and Ecology. The trio discuss the ways categorisation has diminished our connection to nature, the growing intersectionality of feminism relating to the climate and the importance of community care.

You can visit the exhibition here: https://www.barbican.org.uk/ReSisters

Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member <3

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.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dispatches From The Kardashian Simulacrum: Tristan's Apology Tour

Thu, 16 Nov 2023 04:00:12 GMT

What is there to day? There’s an apology tour to squeeze out what’s left of the scandals.

Then a lot of time being spent creating more structures and storylines about Kim working constantly, so we’re gonna show her being tired. What does that mean though? Why do we care? A way for The Kardashians to show us a version of true slices of life - the busy reality of trips to New York, meetings, appearances, disorientation at Tiffany's. We know though, smokes and mirrors, it's an approximation of the actuality of her busy life - let’s face it, a helicopter trip from Manhattan to Brooklyn. We don’t not have as many luxury hours in the day as The Kardashian’s.

And again (and again) we see what they want to rise to the surface and stay there, we see the long game - in years but realistically (and dreadfully) in centuries.

We've also introduced a new membership tier for fans of the pod. Support the podcast here!

This piece was recorded during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike, the television series being mentioned here wouldn't exist.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why The Internet Hates 'This Is Not Your Mother's Mean Girls'

Mon, 13 Nov 2023 01:00:00 GMT

It's finally here: The trailer for the movie of the musical of the movie Mean Girls, but the promotion for 'Not your mother's Mean Girls' has the generations united in disdain. Why did they say that? And why is Regina George wearing combats? This week Ione and Gina are discussing nostalgia culture and the eroding of tweenhood.

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READ, A DANGEROUS CONFLATION: AN OPEN LETTER FROM JEWISH WRITERS, IN FULL

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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Dispatches From The Kardashian Simulacrum: Is Kim Copying Taylor Swift's PR Moves?

Thu, 09 Nov 2023 05:00:00 GMT

This episode they packed in a loooot of storylines. Lots of the Momager and with Kris needing to be everywhere at once, she finds new ways to do it. There’s questions about Kendall and talk of more Scaffolding to protect the privacy. And a bit more from the NPCs and how it feels to enter it and how it feels to be on the outside of it.

Anand in the world of celebrity action this week we’ve got Kim and Taylor doing v similar PR moves and guess what, they both involve sports. But what we really wanna know? Did we see Kardashians at the Eras tour?

We've also introduced a new membership tier for fans of the pod. Support the podcast here!

This piece was recorded during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike, the television series being mentioned here wouldn't exist.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Selena Gomez, Amy Schumer, & The Problem With Celebrities Getting Political Online

Mon, 06 Nov 2023 00:00:55 GMT

Why has Macklemore got a better take on war than Kier Starmer? This week Ione and Gina are taking a look at the culture surrounding celebrity opinions in relation to major political events. From back peddling to blindly sharing infographics, should we be turning to the feeds of the upper classes for news anyway?

ACTIONABLE WAYS TO SUPPORT THE END TO GENOCIDE IN PALESTINE (UK)

DEMAND A CEASEFIRE IN GAZA (US)

Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member <3

Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member <3

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dispatches From The Kardashian Simulacrum: Is this Real Drama?

Thu, 02 Nov 2023 05:00:00 GMT

What stood out to you sisters? Fake drama on the show? Could they ever?

There’s the relevance of incredibly empty and fluffy episodes when so much is happening outside of the show. A very tame Palm Springs for easter trip, some trouble in the grey gardens and it’s clearer than ever the show is just a bunch of scaffolding to shield the sisters from their reality.

Kim tells the fam about her new role in AHS, there’s a humble brag - oh she loves taking on a challenge. Our sisters speculate on the impacts of the strike on Kim’s delivery of her new acting role and ultimately, why are we taking this at face value?

Will there won’t there be a podcast? If there is, we’ll pick that up on the next episode of this podcast. See you there xx

We've also introduced a new membership tier for fans of the pod. Support the podcast here!

This piece was recorded during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike, the television series being mentioned here wouldn't exist.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why Do Women Love Being Redpilled?

Mon, 30 Oct 2023 00:00:53 GMT

Is the dirtbag left just conservatism and facism in a pretty outfit? More and more women are joining the alt-right under the guise of irony, playing a crucial part in the widening of political divides and making bank by broadcasting their bigoted opinions. With tradwifes going mainstream and shock-politics podcasts drawing in hundreds of thousands of listeners; Ione and Gina are examining what it takes for women to be indoctrinated into a movement that exists to belittle them.

Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member <3

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dispatches From The Kardashian Simulacrum: The Goal is Always to Expand

Thu, 26 Oct 2023 08:52:55 GMT

First things first, a famous well loved . . . cat. In all the unreal-ness of the reality you can’t get more real than a cat, and a hiss.

We’re used to the family FaceTiming to name drop - but this time the person on the other end is an important player in The Kardashian effort - the goal is always to expand. And we go behind the latest campaign, SKIMS soccer, with a live reaction from the sisters

There's a light dive in American Horror Story, and force of will. Back with the family there’s a will they won’t they, live anaesthesia (wow) and the reality, basically, that the show is just collective tissue for the brands.

We've also introduced a new membership tier for fans of the pod. Support the podcast here!

This piece was recorded during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike, the television series being mentioned here wouldn't exist.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Doja Cat & The Problem With People Pandering to Edgelord Celebrities

Sun, 22 Oct 2023 23:00:00 GMT

It seems impossible to go a week without Doja Cat stirring up a new controversy; from sporting a tshirt featuring an alt-right figurehead, to appearing in racist chatrooms and isolating her fanbase. As her behaviour appears to veer away from simple trolling and towards an actual endorsement of alt-right views, Ione and Gina are digging into why we continue to pander to celebrities that act in ways we don't agree with. From parasocial relationships and whether controversy helps or hinders celebrities, to what it means to be red-pilled and the conspiracy theories that emerge surrounding contentious figures.

Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member <3

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dispatches From The Kardashian Simulacrum: The Power Of Proximity

Thu, 19 Oct 2023 01:00:20 GMT

Is The Bachelor sponsoring this season of The Kardashians? As this season progresses, the family continue to focus on fluffy storylines while ignoring the more serious issues bubbling under the surface. In La, Kris and Khloe are trying to set up Scott, while Kim's in London playing Soccer Mom while dodging her friends matchmaking efforts — and we're still unable to go a full episode without someone begging Khloe to get back with Tristan.

MJ and Marie are exploring how the Kardashians keep on top of their constructed narratives while maintaining fame and relevancy in a world increasingly cynical of the family's actions.

We've also introduced a new membership tier for fans of the pod. Support the podcast here!

This piece was recorded during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike, the television series being mentioned here wouldn't exist.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Inclusivity in Fashion is a Charade & We're All Being Duped

Sun, 15 Oct 2023 23:00:00 GMT

Between announcements of yet another white man being appointed to lead a luxury house, modelling agencies recruiting refugees and then mistreating them, and curve models making up less than 1% of SS24 runways; its safe to say the fashion girlies are not alright. With memes circulating that decry the lack of diversity and inclusivity within the industry, it can often feel like fashion not only doesn't care, but is actively ignoring the grim reality and structural issues. This week, Ione and Gina are debating if change is ever possible within an oppressive system, what the failure of diversity efforts mean, and how we as consumers can strive for change.

Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member <3

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dispatches From The Kardashian Simulacrum: Kim Is Fictionalising Her PR Moves

Thu, 12 Oct 2023 04:00:41 GMT

The KarJenner sisters are fictionalising their own PR moves and Kim is pushing it to the extremes with her series of American Horror Story while using the show to embed feminism into Kim's brand alongside shamelessly canonising their world. Meanwhile in the Hulu show, the family distract us with fluffy storylines that don't mean much of anything, except to drive home the fact that the family are aligned with authenticity.

We've also introduced a new membership tier for fans of the pod. Support the podcast here!

This piece was recorded during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the television series being covered here wouldn't exist.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TikTok Sleuths Are Making Gossip a Crime

Mon, 09 Oct 2023 01:00:12 GMT

Earlier this month, an influencer took to TikTok to denounce some women she heard at brunch bitching about their friends. No, this woman did not know the people she was filming. Nor was she friends with the person they were gossiping about. Chaos ensued, with the video being viewed over 1.2 million times over a week and people rushing to find 'Sarah', the subject of the gossip. But is gossiping still really considered the worst thing a person can do to their friends?

This influencer is not alone in her tactics; a new genre of TikTok's sees people recording strangers business and broadcasting it to millions - but just because these people are bitching about their friends, do they deserve to be outed online? This week, Ione and Gina are discussing the politics of gossip, TikTok as a surveillance state, and whether our business should ever be made public.

Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member <3

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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Dispatches From The Kardashian Simulacrum: The Postmodernism of The Kardashians

Thu, 05 Oct 2023 04:00:00 GMT

We’re back in the world of The Kardashians, episode two! The sisters talk about the spectrum of the (The Kardashian) sisters and how they aesthetically and conceptually give us different things... from the tabloids stories about Khloé and will they won’t they with Tristan, to Kim’s trip to Harvard and projecting seriousness. All in all the entertainment of politics, celebrity activism and the parallels of our shows and theirs.

A martini (wink) of an episode.

Catch up with season one of our brand new podcast series if you missed it! We've teamed up with the genius behind Kardashian Kolloquium, MJ Corey, and her sister Marie, to breakdown the world of The Kardashians week by week.

We've also introduced a new membership tier for fans of the pod. Support the podcast here!

This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the television series being covered here wouldn't exist.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why Are We All Reclaiming Our Girlhood?

Mon, 02 Oct 2023 01:00:32 GMT

From girl math and girl dinner to the fact that all of our clothes have become adorned with little bows; girls once again rule the URL world. But how much has changed since the Tumblr era? Is this latest cycle of reclaiming hyper-femininity harmless, or just another opportunity for our interests to become hyper-capitalist fodder? Ione and Gina are diving into the cultural moments that have brought us here, and trying to figure out what it really means to be a girl in this world.

Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member <3

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dispatches From The Kardashian Simulacrum: The Narratives Are Imploding In On Themselves

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 04:00:58 GMT

As season four premieres, the show itself has finally become its own character - with Kourtney and Kim continuing their fight into the new season by drudging up past drama via edits of The Kardashians. As American Horror Story kicks off with Kim in a starring role; it seems as though the Kardashians are finally unveiling who they are - cosmetic surgery, forced storylines and more. MJ and Marie sit down to dissect both shows, both in relation to each other, and individually.

We've also introduced a new membership tier for fans of the pod. Support the podcast here!

This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the television series being covered here wouldn't exist.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Summer 2023 Recap: The Tabi Swindler, The Roman Empire, Timothée & Kylie, Barbie, Bottoms and more

Mon, 25 Sep 2023 01:00:37 GMT

Hello! We are back, with an episode that obviously probably feels as strange for us as it is for you (this is ione typing btw). I'm now joined by miss Gina Tonic, who listeners of the podcast will know as someone mentioned frequently. Gina is our senior editor as well as mine and Eden's bestie. We'll be returning on a weekly basis to discuss the discourse through a feminist lens, but to ease us into it, this week we're discussing whats hot or not for 2023. From The Idol, Victorias Secret Relaunch, The Tabi Swindler, Bottoms, Barbie, Timmy and Kylie, The Roman Empire, Twitter/X and more.

Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member <3

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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Dispatches From The Kardashian Simulacrum: Strikes, American Horror Story and Season Four

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 01:00:53 GMT

The sisters are back! Before season four of The Kardashians premiers next week, MJ and Marie are sitting down to discuss their new approach to this season; focusing on the Kardashian world as a whole, rather than recapping episode by episode. The pair are picking apart Kim's starring role in American Horror Story; from Ryan Murphy being a scab, to the franchise taking camp mainstream, and whether Kim's moment to transcend the reality genre will be a success. MJ and Marie will also be discussing the importance of the strikes more widely in relation to the Kardashian universe.

We've also introduced a new membership tier for fans of the pod. Support the podcast here!

This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the television series being covered here wouldn't exist.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dispatches From The Kardashian Simulacrum: There Is No Such Thing as an Original Thought When It Comes to the Kardashians

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 04:00:57 GMT

The season finale is here! Whether or not you agree with Kourtney that season three has been exhausting; MJ and Marie are here to guide us through the highs, lows, and media theory hot takes of the final episode.

Catch up with the rest of our brand new podcast series if you missed it! We've teamed up with the genius behind Kardashian Kolloquium, MJ Corey, and her sister Marie, to breakdown the new season of The Kardashians episode by episode.

We've also introduced a new membership tier for fans of the pod. Support the podcast here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dispatches From The Kardashian Simulacrum: The Importance of Being Earnest

Thu, 20 Jul 2023 04:00:55 GMT

Here we are! The penultimate episode of Dispatches From the Kardashian simulacrum.

MJ and Marie take us on a tour of cultural cohorts and whether or not we’re ever truly able to understand generations outside of our own. With the time between generations shortening and the differences widening will we ever share basic human realities again? Did we ever even share them in the first place?

In an episode filled with storage units, archives and legacy the Kardashian sisters are finally on the subject they’ve been teasing all season. The body. We’re sensing the sisters have an eagerness to blame society, and an unwillingness to explore the fact that, the Kardashian's are society.

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Dispatches From The Kardashian Simulacrum: Is it real or is it not real? Do they care or do they not care?

Thu, 13 Jul 2023 04:00:00 GMT

Episode 8 and the perfect time for our hosts to explore the age old Kardashian questions: Is it real or is it fake? Do they care or do they not care? What part of you stays the same and stays human when you have that much money and that much power?

The sisters take us on a journey of balance, active consumption over passive consumption and explore the most anticipated Kardashian move yet . . . is there a Kardashian Christmas album on the horizon? With singing lessons and auto tune in full swing, whether you ‘hate listen or love listen’ you won’t be able to switch off from the micro scandals, fake tears and reality checks of this weeks episode.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dispatches From The Kardashian Simulacrum: How The Kardashians Have Always Been Modern Mythology

Thu, 06 Jul 2023 04:00:00 GMT

We're on episode seven, and the fight we've all been waiting for has finally taken place: Kourtney and Kim have sat down to discuss their ongoing feud. But what does the confrontation tell us about the sisters? And has one Kardashian come out on top? MJ and Marie sit down to dissect; from how power really is the root of all conflict, to how the family are intent on securing their reputation as an empire.

We've also introduced a new membership tier for fans of the pod. Support the podcast here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dispatches From The Kardashian Simulacrum: Why Is Female Power Synonymous With Tragedy?

Thu, 29 Jun 2023 04:00:00 GMT

Its episode six, we're over halfway through season three of The Kardashians, and Marie's back! This week the sisters span everything from filler and filters, to slut shaming, the Kardashians resurfacing ideas from previous seasons, and why keep trying to prove that they are just like us, really.

We've also introduced a new membership tier for fans of the pod. Support the podcast here!

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Dispatches From The Kardashian Simulacrum: Is The Kim vs Kourtney Rivalry Really All About Mommy Issues?

Thu, 22 Jun 2023 04:00:45 GMT

This week, MJ is joined by Lee - who doesn't watch the Kardashians - to break down episode five of the third season of the show through a fresh, untainted pair of eyes. From whether the Kourtney and Kim rift is really, at the heart of it, all about their deep-rooted mommy issues, to what the data shows us about who's Dolce and Gabbana collaboration was more successful with the public.

Sidebars include the sisters' unlikely alignment to traditional masculine societal roles, North becoming resident relatable family member with the return of Kardashian pranks, and how the meta-commentary on narratives just keeps expanding as the season unfurls.

We've also introduced a new membership tier for fans of the pod. Support the podcast here!

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Dispatches From The Kardashian Simulacrum: The Show Has More In Common With Succession Than You Think

Thu, 15 Jun 2023 04:00:45 GMT

Katy Perry declared this season of The Kardashians to be the much longed for fifth season of succession. But how alike really are the two dynasties? This week, MJ and Marie are breaking down episode four; from how the sisters are documenting dystopia in realtime, to which NPC deserves their flowers this week.

We've also introduced a new membership tier for fans of the pod. Support the podcast here!

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A note from Ione

Wed, 14 Jun 2023 10:44:31 GMT

I love you eden young x x

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-us-bring-eden-home?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer

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Dispatches From The Kardashian Simulacrum: Memeing Through The Existential Dread

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 04:00:59 GMT

In episode 3, season three, of The Kardashians, the sisters are getting existential. From talk of Kris grappling with moral questions around putting her kids through fame, and Kourtney self referencing her own memes, to how the sisters hold up a mirror to wider conversation on we react to and feel about social media in our own lives. MJ and Marie discuss the families commitment to upholding rampant capitalism, and the ongoing reckoning with their own values surrounding success thats being played out in this season of the show.

Catch up with episode one of our brand new podcast series if you missed it! We've teamed up with the genius behind Kardashian Kolloquium, MJ Corey, and her sister Marie, to breakdown the new season of The Kardashians episode by episode.

We've also introduced a new membership tier for fans of the pod. Support the podcast here!

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The Sleepover Club: How Taylor Swift & Matty Healy Became The Worlds Most Controversial Couple

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 01:00:29 GMT

The stans are not happy. They're returning gig tickets, creating twitter threads justifying their decision to attend concerts, and rescinding their status as a Swiftie; all because Taylor Swift is dating Matty Healy. But why are the (rumoured) new couple so controversial? And should we deserve better from the celebrities we love? This episode, Ione and Eden are digging into the controversy - from why people hate the 1975 frontman, and if fans project too much onto their faves, to whether Taylor Swift has ever, really, been a good person.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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Dispatches From The Kardashian Simulacrum: The Sisters That Won't Let Girlboss Culture Die

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 04:00:37 GMT

From Kylie taking a tour across Europe to oversee production of her cosmetics, to Kim negotiating a deal with Dolce and Gabbana; this season is proving that the Kardashian sisters are not about to let girlboss culture die anytime soon. In the second episode of our new podcast, MJ and Marie are delving deeper into the simulacrum that is the show; from to what extent the family is self aware, to Scott's role as an outsider, changing beauty standards and whether we're all just watching one long, drawn out advertisement for the many businesses in the Kardashian empire.

We've also introduced a new membership tier for fans of the pod. Support the podcast here!

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The Sleepover Club: The Torture Of Being Perceived & Whether The 'Like Gap' Is Even Real

Mon, 29 May 2023 01:00:33 GMT

Have you ever left a social interaction feeling like you were annoying? That you spoke too much, or too little? That the people you were just hanging out with probably never want to speak to you again? Well, we have good news! Research sweeping TikTok motivational content suggests that 'the like gap' - or, the feeling that people like us less than we like them - is fake! Studies have shown people are like you sizeably more than you think they do. Or do they? This week, Ione and Eden are delving into the like gap, as well as the hell of being perceived, how social media is changing how we feel about ourselves and each other, and whether you should (or should not) care about what others think of you in the first place.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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Dispatches From The Kardashian Simulacrum: The Girls Are (Fake) Fighting Again

Fri, 26 May 2023 01:00:01 GMT

The Polyester Podcast universe is expanding! Introducing MJ Corey, the genius behind Kardashian Kolloquium, The Kardashian cultural analysis social media giant. She'll be breaking down the new season of The Kardashians episode by episode with her sister, producer, and collaborator Marie, in our brand new podcast series.

Are the girls really fighting? Are we moving away from written culture? And are reality tv storylines being structured around viral moments and TikTok sounds? Listen to the episode to hear MJ and Marie's deep dive into deconstructing the uncanny valley vibes of the newest Kardashian episode.

We've also introduced a new membership tier for fans of the pod. Support the podcast here!

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The Sleepover Club: How The Writers Strike Will Shape The Future Of Culture

Mon, 22 May 2023 01:00:28 GMT

Screenwriters are striking, celebrities are turning up on picket lines and creating viral moments, and all our fave shows are ceasing production. But the implications of a writers strike are bigger than the next series of Stranger Things being delayed. In this episode, Ione and Eden are diving into how past writers strikes have effected culture; from the dawn of reality tv, to a decline in media literacy, and whether the 2007 strike paved the way for Trump to become president.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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The Sleepover Club: Are They An Industry Plant, Or Do You Just Hate Women?

Mon, 15 May 2023 01:00:06 GMT

Discourse surrounding industry plants is seemingly never-ending, with the focus of this months twitter ire being new indie-darlings The Last Dinner Party. But what even is an industry plant? Are our favourite musicians really conceptualised by men sitting in a boardroom? And does it matter if they are? This week ione and eden are discussing whether authenticity matters, how new music marketing techniques are duping us all, and why nearly everyone accused of being an industry plant label is a woman.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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The Sleepover Club: All Your Fave Magazines Are Closing, But Who Killed Digital Media?

Mon, 08 May 2023 01:00:54 GMT

Paper Magazine, Gal-dem, and Buzzfeed news have all recently ceased publication, with rumours circulating that Vice and i-D are next on the chopping block. Once again, this has been a tumultuous year for digital publications. But how did we get here, and who is at fault? This week Ione and Eden are digging into why it feels like a new publication closes once a week, from the power hierarchies within media spaces, to selling out, and whether culture journalism is as powerful as it used to be. TW: Lots of bias due to our position as an indie magazine, lol.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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The Sleepover Club: On Wednesdays We Dox Mean Girls On TikTok

Mon, 01 May 2023 01:00:30 GMT

This week, social media decided on a common enemy. After this video went viral, showing two young women mocking another who was taking selfies and filming TikToks at a sports game - the entire internet came together to dox the two perpetrators. But who really was the mean girl in this scenario? Was it the pair, annoyed at being filmed in public? Or the poster for exploiting their experience in exchange for thousands of new followers. Ione and Eden are discussing what it means to be a twenty first century mean girl, how the archetype has changed, and if bad behaviour should or should not be punished by the court of online opinion.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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The Sleepover Club: Are Spoilers And Streaming Services Sucking All Enjoyment From Life?

Mon, 24 Apr 2023 01:00:01 GMT

Spoiler warning! The golden age of telly is over. This week, hosts Ione Gamble and Eden Young lay bare the ways that streaming services have decimated the TV watching experience. Is there any good to be gleamed from binge watching? Or do you long for the era of waiting for new episodes to air on the terrestrial television channels' primo spot? And how is anyone meant to enjoy an anticipated episode of their fav show when social media has laid all the best bits bare already?

Going head to head, Ione and Eden debate the pros and cons of our generation's departure from traditional programming and lay into anyone who dares to post show spoilers in the 24 hours post airing.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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The Sleepover Club: Therapy Speak Is Ruining Our Friendships And Making Us Terrible People

Mon, 17 Apr 2023 01:00:03 GMT

Have you ever received a message along the lines of, "Do you have the emotional/mental capacity for me to vent about something"? Or have you accused your friends of overstepping your boundaries, or not holding space for you to prioritise yourself? Over the past few years, this formalisation language - dubbed 'therapy speak' has infiltrated the way we talk to each other.

But is that person really gaslighting you? Or have we become too quick to medicalise our interpersonal issues? This episode, Ione and Eden are interrogating the origins of therapy speak online. From the motivations behind the individual influencers that peddle it, and whether any therapist or professional mental health worker would ever speak to you that way, to interrogating why we all feel so compelled to intellectualise the issues in our friendships.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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Confessions: What's The Difference Between Love & Craving Attention? Plus More Of Your Dilemmas Answered By Doechii

Thu, 13 Apr 2023 01:00:20 GMT

For the finale of our Confessions mini series, cover girly Doechii lends us her agony aunt services to solve the problems of Polyester readers across the globe. The musician sits down with Ione and Eden to discuss just how important (or not) sex really is in relationships, what to do about bigoted family members, whether being loud is the best way to bring about social progress, and much more.

In Collaboration with Coach, we've created a free limited edition print zine for all UK listeners, reserve your copy here: https://www.polyesterzine.com/sign-up

Coach is celebrating what we carry with us, not just your wallet, keys and lip gloss in your Coach Tabby Bag, the stories and experiences that have shaped us. In this mini-series, we’ll be delving into the personal moments and experiences that have made us who we are, from relationship drama, friendship woes, career mishaps and embarrassing moments to personal journeys, the revelations, and aspirations that we carry with us.

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The Sleepover Club: Blokecore, The Legacy Of Ladettes, And Why We Should Be Worried About The Co-option Of Working Class Culture

Mon, 10 Apr 2023 01:00:40 GMT

All of the girlies, from Bella Hadid to Kim Kardashian herself, are dressing like they love the football. Blokecore is the latest microtrend to sweep the internet - and suddenly, going to the pub with a footy scarf round your head (the style itself now christened the 'litty scarf') is a personality type. This week, Ione are examining the history of how we treat working class aesthetics - from the demonisation of ladette culture, and the knowing irony that so often infiltrates blokecore, to whether this new iteration of popularisation signals the return of a dreaded, populist type of neoliberalism that demonises the working classes at every opportunity.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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Confessions: Class Divides In Relationships, Inadequacy, & Hating Your Best Friends Partner - With Piri

Thu, 06 Apr 2023 01:00:30 GMT

Confessions is back! Long time listeners will remember our summer of solving all your issues, lending our agony aunt services to Polyester readers across the globe. Well now, we've returned with the second of three new episodes and a few very special guests. This episode, we're joined by Piri. Best known for dance music that infiltrates every corner of TikTok, as well as her pole routines and OnlyFans career, Ione and Eden sat down with our latest cover girl to tackle your conundrums; from feelings of jealousy towards the object of your exes affection, to being with someone who is far richer than you.

In Collaboration with Coach, we've created a free limited edition print zine for all UK listeners, reserve your copy here: https://www.polyesterzine.com/sign-up

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The Sleepover Club: The Farce Of #MeToo & Why Abuse Of Power Still Comes As No Surprise

Mon, 03 Apr 2023 01:00:29 GMT

It's been a grim week, month, and year when it comes to abuses of power in Hollywood. As a string of stories in the past few weeks have been published pertaining to the abuse of women on film and tv sets; Ione and Eden are contemplating the effectiveness of Hollywoods activism. From allegations surrounding Sam Levinson's 'The Idol' production to Jonathan Major's assault arrest and women coming forward with accusations towards Emrata's ex and Uncut Gems producer Sebastian Bear-MclCard - the news cycle, and the state of how women are still being treated in the entertainment industry, is pretty bleak.

In what we're dubbing ‘the allegedly episode’, Ione and Eden are touching upon whatever happened to the Times Up organisation and corporate Hollywood activism, if anti-cancellation discourse is preventing recourse for those that abuse their power, why it feels like a joke when Hollywood tries to portray such narratives on screen, and how we can move forward, while attempting to make change, without losing our minds. TW: sexual assault, abuse.

In Collaboration with Coach, we've created a free limited edition print zine for all UK listeners, reserve your copy here: https://www.polyesterzine.com/sign-up

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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Confessions: Codependency, Oversharing Online, and How To Stop Being Shy - With Cat Burns

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 09:44:29 GMT

Confessions is back! Long time listeners will remember our summer of solving all your issues, lending our agony aunt services to Polyester readers across the globe. Well now, we've returned with the first of three new episodes and a few very special guests. First up, we're joined by the incredible singer-songwriter and full time legend Cat Burns. Ione and Eden sat down with Cat to tackle your conundrums; from one of you having issues with your partners friends, to another who can't trust her close friends list on Instagram.

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The Sleepover Club: How Misogynists Are Using Infographics & Pseudoscience To Fuel Anti-Feminism

Mon, 27 Mar 2023 01:00:36 GMT

You've probably seen the thin green line of misogyny - a new wave of infographics peddled by far-right twitter accounts and satirised by practically everyone else, highlighting incel-adjacent theories around gender and feminism. But while these images may be ready made meme material for most of the world; in the manosphere (a term we decode in this episode), these anti-feminist ideologies are growing quickly. But as incels begin using science and pop-psychology to validate their hatred, should we be taking their naively annotated imagery more seriously? Or is humour one of the most effective tools we have? Ione and Eden discuss.

Thank you to the listener who suggested this topic! <3

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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The Sleepover Club - Cloutbombing & The Need to Remain Culturally Relevant At Any Cost

Mon, 20 Mar 2023 02:53:09 GMT

Brad Troemel has coined a term to describe the diversity quota meme-laden photoshoots that take over our feeds these days - Cloutbombing.

But what does the term actually mean? Are brands referencing digital culture in an attempt to stay culturally relevant? And are we doomed to play into the hands of cloutbombing forever more?

This week on the pod Ione and Eden are getting into cloutbombing, consumer theory, the need to prove that The Scene is back!, No Logo by Naomi Klein, hyper niche online subculture and those big red boots.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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The Sleepover Club: How Ozempic Killed Body Positivity And Why We Need Gross Girls More Than Ever

Mon, 06 Mar 2023 02:00:59 GMT

As the remnants of fourth wave feminism cling on for dear life, it's become impossible to ignore the idea that we're now living through a post-feminist era. In the 10 months since the release of our host Ione Gamble's debut Poor Little Sick Girls, body positivity has died, #MeToo is non-existent and the discourse has stripped any semblance of nuance from online life. This week, Ione and Eden discuss where feminism goes from here, why we should all be less scared of being cancelled, and why earnestness is the only thing that can save us all.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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The Sleepover Club: Are Sex Scenes In Film and Tv Immoral?

Mon, 27 Feb 2023 02:00:31 GMT

Penn Badgley has managed to single handedly set alight the discord over the past couple of weeks. Revealing that he no longer wants to perform sex scenes out of respect for his marriage, his comments have stoked the flames of a long running Twitter storm. Gen Z supposedly thinks sex scenes should be eliminated from film and tv entirely. Are they all prudes? Or do they have a point? This week; Ione and Eden are diving head first into the discourse, from whether people are having sex less generally, to the fact that we never see Marvel stars bang, and whether it really is a 'violation of consent' to expect actors to act out sexual acts on screen.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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The Sleepover Club: TERFs Are Ruining Feminism

Mon, 20 Feb 2023 02:00:42 GMT

Following the death of Brianna Ghey, as well as an open letter penned by contributors of The New York Times condemning the publications reporting on gender, and the defence of JK Rowling that followed, transgender rights are once again under attack. For this week's podcast, Ione and Eden are revisiting an episode from 2020 in which we discussed the rise of TERF ideology, and how the media at large has fuelled anti-trans sentiment both in the UK and the USA.

In another special edition of The Sleepover Club, we're joined by Vice features editor Hannah Ewens to discuss her recent long read about how the debate over human rights for trans people came to dominate mainstream UK media and divide British feminists. A TERF is a trans-exclusionary radical 'feminist'. In this episode, Ione, Olivia, and Hannah discuss how TERF ideology has riddled British feminism, what cisgender feminists must do counteract it, and how representation / our treatment of transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people in the media needs to change.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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The Sleepover Club: Is Deinfluencing Going to Save Us All? Or Is It Just Consumerism In Disguise?

Mon, 13 Feb 2023 02:00:45 GMT

No longer is it enough for people on the internet to tell us what to buy, they've decided they have to tell us what not to buy, too. Like a consumerist superhero; influencers are trending for telling us the dyson air wrap is a waste of money, or that viral skirt you really want is actually uncomfortable. But are these internet personalities doing important work in turning us off these products, or are they just wise to the fact over-consumption is no longer trendy?

This week Eden and Ione are discussing how we got to this moment, as well as examining the recent history of how our spending habits have been changed and influenced by those around us.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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The Sleepover Club: Recession Core Is As Depressing As It Sounds

Mon, 06 Feb 2023 02:00:56 GMT

We've been cursed with a new 'core'l and this one may be the bleakest of them all. Celebrities are no longer wearing necklaces on the runway, minimalism is back, and a new trend dubbed 'recession core' is the latest fixation of TikTok trend forecasters. But does fashion really change in times of economic uncertainty? Rich people certainly aren't getting any poorer, so is this new conscious aesthetic just another attempt to glean relatability from the masses? Or do socio-economic theories such as the lipstick theory and the hemline index really ring true? Ione and Eden delve into the politics of fashion and frugality in this weeks episode.

Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Leave a review, send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, or drop us a DM on Instagram

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The Sleepover Club: Is Lucky Girl Syndrome Real?

Mon, 30 Jan 2023 02:00:21 GMT

Have you heard of lucky girl syndrome? The craze sweeping social media is bringing back manifestation and positive thinking for a new generation. With lucky girls taking over TikTok, we're asking if demanding what you want from the universe is uplifting or reductive? Can you really get what you want by just believing you deserve it? Or is it just a grossly naive flex that just shows us how little work has been done in terms of understanding privilege in our society? This Episode, Ione and Eden discuss how Millennials and Gen Z's adoption of pseudo spiritualism may be more damaging than it first appears.

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The Sleepover Club: Why Can't We Leave Britney Alone? Because TikTok Correspondents Are Turning Us All Into Monstrous Tabloid Journalists

Mon, 23 Jan 2023 02:00:19 GMT

Britney Spears is once again the focus point of internet gossip. The conspiracy theories grow more outlandish by the minute; from the pop star having a body double, to her husband placing her in a new conservatorship and pushing the star in front of a green screen to create Instagram content. But unlike in the early 00s, we now all have the ability to comment, dissect, and tear apart celebrities behaviour. No longer is the worst person online Perez Hilton, because millions of us on TikTok are elongating his legacy; using celebrities pain to generate engagement and boost our own profiles. Are we sleepwalking into another nightmare, in which marginalised celebrities are treated with no regard for their wellbeing? Ione and Eden discuss.

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The Sleepover Club: Is It Time To Retire The 'Sad Girls With Bad Boyfriends' Narrative?

Mon, 16 Jan 2023 02:00:44 GMT

It's a tale as old as time: a woman experiences a breakup, and in the midst of her heartbreak, takes to the internet to tell us every sordid detail of the ways in which her ex did her wrong. Whether on TikTok, published in personal essays on prestigious platforms, or showcased on Instagram stories - the girlies can't get enough of exposing the men that have ruined their lives. But have we bored of hearing these stories? And even worse, do they paint women as perpetual victims unable to exercise autonomy in their own relationships? Ione and Eden discuss!

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The Sleepover Club: Why We're Sick Of 'In' And 'Out' Lists, And What They Say About Our Attitude To Micro-trends

Mon, 09 Jan 2023 02:00:30 GMT

We're back! Did you miss us? This week Ione and Eden are discussing the trend that's dominated our Instagram feeds: In and Out lists. Written by everyone who's anyone; from Jemima Kirke and Hari Nef, to pretty much every influencer you've ever followed; the internet has become enamoured with notes app lists predicting what we will and won't enjoy in 2023. But do we really care what these people think? Or are they just away for us to flex our impeccable taste to our followers?

We're discussing how the trend feeds in to our obsessions with 'cores' and what those who love or hate the new (micro)trend cycle both get wrong about what it means for our cultural landscape.

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From Buccal Fat To Goblin Mode: Analysing The Highs And Lows Of 2022

Mon, 19 Dec 2022 02:00:36 GMT

For our last episode of the year, Halima Jibril is BACK to go over our favourite podcast topics from 2022. We're looking at indie sleaze, toxic femininity, it girls (in particular, our patron saint Julia Fox), goblin mode and more! With hindsight, Ione and Halima take a trip down memory lane to look at the good, bad and ugly moments that came to define 2022

Thanks so much to everyone who has tuned in for The Polyester Podcast each Monday, we couldn't do it without you and we can't wait to continue our cultural critique into 2023!

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Are AI Selfies & Digital Narcissism Going To Destroy Art As We Know It?

Mon, 12 Dec 2022 02:00:35 GMT

If you've been on Instagram this week, you've probably come across the Lensa App. We've all been turning ourselves into fairies, manga characters, and painters muses using AI technology. But is creating these selfies ethical? Are they going to put artists out of a job? Are they just harmless fun? Or an example of our rampant narcissism?

This week, Ione and Eden are digging into the rise of AI on social media; from whether these apps are stealing art from small creators, to horror in the AI realm, chatbots that could change our lives and if a few fantastical selfies are worth the hidden cost to the creative industries.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Sleepover Club: Balenciaga, Satanic Panic, And How The Left Falls For QAnon Conspiracies

Mon, 05 Dec 2022 02:00:24 GMT

This week, Ione and Eden are trying to get to the bottom of the Balenciaga story; separating the fact from fiction, as well as examining how the controversy grew so large in the media and on social media. As the conspiracy theories around the fashion brand continue to spread like wildfire, we're digging into the importance of media literacy and how far right propaganda runs rampant on the internet.

With users searching for the most sinister explanation possible when it comes to any number of subjects online, we're unknowingly allowing the far right to pull so many people into its orbit — But how do we stop and break these patterns of behaviour?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Sleepover Club: Has Marvel Killed The Movie Star, As Quentin Tarantino Believes? Or Are We Seeing A Return To The Old Hollywood System?

Mon, 28 Nov 2022 02:00:00 GMT

Another week goes by and another director is slamming Marvel for killing the movie business as they know it. No matter where you stand on Quentin Tarantino, one thing is for sure; celebrity is changing. As 2022 draws to a close, Ione and Eden are reflecting on the year in celebrity, and movie stars in particular. We're discussing whether the rise of streaming will result in the return of the old studio system, with actors being contracted by production companies to star in multiple films for the same streamer. As well as whether the industry is really getting more inclusive, if we need to return to the cinema, and whether a monopoly on film, tv, and even publishing companies is killing creativity as we know it.

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The Sleepover Club: Keeping Up With The Kinky Crafts - Are We All Watching Fetish Content Without Realising?

Mon, 21 Nov 2022 02:00:30 GMT

Do you spend hours fixated on five minute craft videos? Are you obsessed with the woman that pours liquid into cake, or the one that goes live on TikTok every night to create resin cups? We'll we've got some news — you're probably consuming fetish content. As the internet becomes more and more censored, creators are becoming increasingly niche in their approach to racking up engagement. But is this content an example of violated consent, or do we all need to lighten up? This week Ione and Eden are discussing the world of fetish mining, and how this content is changing the way we consume online.