The Polyester Podcast podcast | Listen online for free

262 episodes

Live: Do Gen Z Have A Problem With Age Shaming?
13/07/2026 | 47 mins.
As Gen Z have aged up, they have become known for a generational distaste (at best) and fear (at worst) of ageing. But how is this expressed and how does it manifest? And why has it developed at all?

This week, hosts Ione and Gina are joined by Ellen Atlanta, author of Pixel Flesh, for an extra special live episode of the podcast at the Wellcome Collection. The three discuss sunscreens pros and cons, the fallacy of preventative tweakments and whether having a fear of ageing is an inherent part of human nature.

This is a live episode recorded at Wellcome Collection Lates, a free after-hours event. Find out more wellcomecollection.org

Order The Polyester Book Of Bad Taste here!

Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member <3

Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, here!

Order Gina's book, Greedy Guts, here!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A Retcon On Self Infantilisation Culture Ft. Toddlercore, Fro-Yo, And Commercial Girlhood
05/07/2026 | 36 mins.
It's been three years, how are we still 'just girls'? Is it because of food trend focussing on nostalgia? A need to heal our inner child? Or a lack of definition of what adulthood without conservative family goals can be?

This week, hosts Ione and Gina reckon with what some media outlets are calling 'toddlercore'. From eating tater tots and fro-yo to wearing baggy jeans, is arrested development a serious problem in gen z and millennial adults or are we just reacting to the crumbling society we've inherited?

Order The Polyester Book Of Bad Taste here!

Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member <3

Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, here!

Order Gina's book, Greedy Guts, here!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Are Teenage Social Media Bans Slay Or Unc?
28/06/2026 | 37 mins.
The UK - and a lot of other countries, actually - are rolling out social media bans for under sixteens as well as social media curfews for those under eighteen. The news has caused uproar with teens promising they'll find workarounds, parents stressing about the impact on their kids and everyone raising concerns about giving mega corporations access to our government ID info.

This week, hosts Ione and Gina get to grips with the cultural impacts of excluding future generations from the internet, the implications of big tech taking on this responsibility and, most excitingly, an insight on the Sheila Matrix.

Order The Polyester Book Of Bad Taste here!

Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member <3

Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, here!

Order Gina's book, Greedy Guts, here!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Why Has Taste Become an Internet-wide Obsession?
14/06/2026 | 29 mins.
It appears tech bros are shaking in their boots because... they're being called cringe - even when they buy a Rimowa suitcase and a full wardrobe from The Row. In a now viral essay, writer Emily Segal assigns the term 'tasteslop' to the lack of taste signified by items that used to be upheld highly in the taste algorithm when enjoyed by those who don't get it - aka, AI bots and the AI company owners.

This week, hosts Ione and Gina rub their hands together because The Polyester Book Of Bad Taste is landing on shelves just in time to tackle the tasteslop phenomenon. The pair chat through why everyone is speaking about taste right now, how the inherent hierarchies of taste are changing and whether or not we're heading towards the worst outcome of all: The era of no taste.

Order The Polyester Book Of Bad Taste here!

Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member <3

Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, here!

Order Gina's book, Greedy Guts, here!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Is Being Lonely The New Status Symbol?
07/06/2026 | 25 mins.
You're in bed on your own scrolling through your phone. On your screen, a woman your age is entering her new build apartment, making herself a bowl of pasta and a glass of Diet Coke on a lap tray, then sitting on a huge sofa to rewatch Friends with a candle burning. Her caption reads 'Life when you have no kids. No friends. No boyfriend.' and her comments are full of other women seeing her lonely lifestyle as aspirational.

This week, hosts Ione and Gina get to grips with the new trend of lonely influencers: Female creators positing having no social circle as a net positive. Is it great to find joy in the growing isolation many of us are feeling? Or should we take a radical stance against introversion in order to stand up for the importance of community?

Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member <3

Order The Polyester Book Of Bad Taste here!

Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, here!

Order Gina's book, Greedy Guts, here!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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About The Polyester Podcast

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

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