The Polyester Podcast

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...

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...

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 do...

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. Supp...

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. Support our work and...

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 affect...

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...

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. Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast...

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 f...

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 safeguar...

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, whe...

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 curr...

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 b...

'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...

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...

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. Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member <3 Or...

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. Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast memb...

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. R...

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 headl...

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 ret...

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 someon...

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...

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 v...

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 do...

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 Order Ione's book, Poor Little S...