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247 episodes

How Looksmaxxing, Clavicular, And Alt-Right Masculinity Went Mainstream
09/03/2026 | 29 mins.
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?

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!

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 Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights
23/02/2026 | 28 mins.
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.

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!

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 Girlification Of Beta Blockers
16/02/2026 | 26 mins.
“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?

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!

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.
Nicki Minaj is MAGA, ICE out, and If Celebrity Activism Can Be Successful
09/02/2026 | 30 mins.
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.

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!

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
26/01/2026 | 26 mins.
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

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

Order Gina's book, Greedy Guts, 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.
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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