The Polyester Podcast

The it girl is a tradition as old as time itself; impossible cool and beautiful in equal measures, they set not only the tone for culture and beauty standards, put fill our brains with aspirations of how we should be living our lives. But why, in 2022, are we still obsessed with it girls? With the archetypal it girl being white, cisgender, skinny and obscenely rich, surely it's time we stop puttin...

In this special bonus instalment of the podcast, we're joined by the one and only Chloe Cherry, aka Faye from Euphoria! Chloe sits down with Ione and Gina to discuss her role on the most talked about tv show of the year, improvising her character's most iconic lines, and how she dealt with becoming a fan favourite. We're also discussing how fashion influences Chloe's work on and off screen, how sh...

It's been practically impossible to move for the last two weeks without being told about 'the vibe shift'. We've all heard its coming, but what does it even mean? This week on The Sleepover Club Ione and Halima are discussing the viral essay by Allison P. Davis titled ‘ A Vibe Shift Is Coming. Will any of us survive it?’ for The Cut. The changing course of culture is inevitable, but with so much o...

The internet has decided: the bimbo is back. But what does a return to bimboism mean for feminism? Is it just a regression into outdated stereotypes, or a reclamation of a set of aesthetic codes that have previously harmed us? And most importantly, is it really radical to be a bimbo? Halima and Ione are dissecting it all; from the problematic Pam and Tommy miniseries, to leftist women embracing be...

From Kimye's divorce, to the new Hulu show, North's TikTok and Kourtney's emo phase, whether you love to hate them or can't help but being obsessed with them, not a week goes by where we don't hear from the Kardashian family. This week on the podcast we're joined by MJ Corey, founder of Kardashian Kolloquium , to break down why they continue to dominate celebrity culture, how she avoids unhealthy...

Today, we are seeing more and more discourse about the rise of the trad (traditional) wife, with the gorls on Tiktok and Instagram romanticising having a family, being a wife, sundresses and staying at home. Very Lana del Rey 2012 vibes. In 1963, Betty Friedan wrote about the “problem with no name.” Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique detailed the widespread unhappiness of the idealised happy-sub...

It's part two of the 'toxic' women deep dive! This week we're discussing the backlash against the 'evil' women genre and how the TikTok girlies are catapulting our obsession with these characters into a new era. From being in your 'fleabag era' and basing your whole life on the protagonist of My Year Of Rest And Relaxation, to femcels and the emerging trend of 'dissociative feminism'. We're explor...

'Evil' women are everywhere, from on our screens, to between the pages of the books we read, and across our feeds in the form of memes. The discourse as to whether these characters are idol worthy, or in fact just rationalising our worst behaviours, is a conversation that has the internet torn. So we're getting into it! In this first instalment of our toxic women two-parter, we're exploring the re...

Haven't you heard? Indie Sleaze is back! Dig out the coloured tights, find your old American Apparel hoodies and dust off your old copies of NME. This week we're joined by Polyester socials editor Eden Young , as her and Ione describe what Indie Sleaze was really like to someone who was never there: Halima, aka our resident Gen Z. What is the difference between Twee, Indie Sleaze, Nu Rave, and the...

Twitter is obsessed with normalising things. From the benign, such as normalising going to the cinema alone, to the vaguely political such as normalise body hair, right up to the extremes of social justice; if there's an issue, we want to normalise it. But does condensing our problems into this meme-esque format really do anything to push things forward? Or when we plea to the internet for a norma...

For our last episode of the year, we're joined by the genius Amelia Dimoldenberg to talk us through her love of the England football team. From how the 2021 Euros set her obsession alight, to how her love for the game has transcended from just thirsting after fit boys; Amelia is talking us through why the current football team cast a shining beacon of hope in extremely bleak times. Amelia is our C...

Over the past few weeks, the internet has been overrun with yassified edits of our faves. Perhaps you've seen Toni Collette with smoothed out skin, Fiona from Shrek sporting a gorgeous smokey eye, or the 'oi mista, you me dad?' doll looking like she's about to head out for a night at Vodka Revs. But while we all become obsessed with yassifying our faves, Ione and Halima are going deep on what the...

The second part of our limited run podcast series The Skin You're In is here! Recorded live in London, Ione is joined by journalist Kieran Yates and writer/researcher Maggie Matić . They'll be discussing everything from reassessing capitalism, if Covid has changed how we approach social-politics, the importance of rest, finding joy online, how feminism has been warped since the advent of fourth wa...

Recorded live in Sheffield, My Skin, My Creativity is the first of a limited two episode run our podcast series exploring modern identity. Our deputy editor Gina Tonic sat down with photographer Melanie Lehmann and activist Ben Pechey to discuss representation, creativity in the North, social media politics and how to harbour community following lockdown. Want to support the podcast? If you'r...

Missed us during our summer break? Surprise! We have an extra special The Skin You're In episode with Megane Mercur y - the winner of our Queer Creative Fund. Hosts Ione Gamble and Gina Tonic speak with Megane about the importance of queer community, how said community differs outside of the concept of 'global pride' and how the internet has changed how we reach out to others. From how to find you...

For our last episode before the summer break, we sit down with one of our FAVOURITE artists, Shona McAndrew. Shona is sharing her love for TikTok; from dueting, to the political content on the app, the obscure trends it leads us too and why TikTok is arguably a more productive place than any other social media platform. But for all the joy the app brings; TikTok isn't without it problems — from ce...

Are you dreading the day you find your first grey hair? Or maybe you've already spent hours in front of the bathroom mirror, pulling single silver strands from your head? This week, we're joined by illustrator Grace Miceli. The long-time contributor to Polyester and author of How to Deal is telling us all about how she shifted her attitude towards growing older. With the past twelve months meaning...

This week on The Sleepover Club, we sat down with Daniel Howell to discuss how the internet has changed, for better and for worse, throughout his career. The author, presenter, and YouTuber tells us how he developed boundaries when it comes to sharing online, why his inner cynic always wins out in the end, and how growing up in online spaces effected his sense of self. We'll also be chatting about...

Do you believe in ghosts? This week on the podcast we're joined by the amazing Emma Dabiri . The Sunday Times Bestselling author, academic, and broadcaster is telling us about her lifelong obsession with folklore and ghost stories. Growing up in Ireland, with folklore an integral part of her surroundings, we chat about how folklore and ghost stories have informed her work and life up until this po...

This week we're joined by the absolutely ICONIC Val Garland . The legendary makeup artist and judge of Glow Up is chatting to us about her many obsessions and what they mean to her. From vintage dolls, to car boot sales, Royal Worcester china and her penchant for a good jug. We discuss how to avoid cursed dolls and their negative energy when antique shopping, Val's brief stint as a car boot vendor...

This episode, we're so excited to be joined by the legend, Eliza Clark! The Boy Parts author will be telling us all about their love of Drag Race. Taking an adoring yet critical look at the TV franchise, Eliza will be chatting to us about why we should look beyond the US and UK versions and give the international iterations a chance. We'll also be discussing the shows handling of gender, class, an...

Over the past twelve months, respect for fat people has reached an all time low. With government schemes aiming to pin our coronavirus death toll on the plus size community; it feels like we’ve gone backwards when it comes to fat liberation. For the final episode of this season of The Skin You’re In, we’re joined by our fave Honey Ross . The Polyester cover girl, writer, and podcaster will be tell...

The world of work is rife with inequality and injustice. How can we shift power in the corporate world and prioritise the voices of those who need to be heard? This week on The Skin You’re In, we’re sitting down with Sonya Barlow - the entrepreneur changing the game when it comes to corporate diversity and inclusion programmes with meaningful mentoring and proper support. We’ll be chatting about h...

The Skin You’re In is back! With three special episodes exploring the biggest issues affecting our generation. First up, we’re joined by the wonderful India Ysabel - self confessed ‘accidental activist’ and founder of The Speak Up Space. Delving deep into the constantly changing world of internet activism, India will be chatting to us about cultivating safe spaces online, the pros and cons of educ...

This episode we're joined by Olivia's most played artist of 2020, Julia Jacklin! The musician will be telling us all about her twisted obsession with TV singing competitions. For the first time in the podcast's history, our guest - Julia - will be discussing an obsession that negatively effects her life; as her infatuation with talent shows leaves her isolating friends and family in her quest to t...