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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member <3

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

Preorder 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, 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

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

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.

Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, 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

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

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.

Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, 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

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

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.

Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, 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

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

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.

Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, 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

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

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.

Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, 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

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

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.

Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, 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

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

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.

Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, 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.

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

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.

Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, 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.

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

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!

Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member <3

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

Preorder 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.

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.

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!

Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, 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.

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

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.

Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, 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.

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

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!

Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, 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.

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

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.

Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, 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.

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

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?

Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, 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.

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

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.

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

Want to support the podcast? If you're a brand or organisation that could help us continue the show, Please fill in this form. Can't wait to hear from you!

We'd love to know what you think about our podcast. Fill out this survey here to have your say <3 Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, leave a review, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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

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.

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

Want to support the podcast? If you're a brand or organisation that could help us continue the show, Please fill in this form. Can't wait to hear from you!

We'd love to know what you think about our podcast. Fill out this survey here to have your say <3 Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, leave a review, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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

The TikTok girlies are creating makeup looks that make you look as though you're crying. Julia Fox is walking down the red carpet with grey hair, and declaring both ugly and ageing as 'in'. Trend forecasters are declaring that we're over the clean girl look, and that the next beauty trend is all about highlighting your 'imperfections' rather than concealing them. This week, Ione and Eden are discussing whether these trends are actually shifting beauty standards, who we allow to be 'ugly', whether it's ever impossible to block out the male gaze, and how we stop aspiring to beauty.

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

Want to support the podcast? If you're a brand or organisation that could help us continue the show, Please fill in this form. Can't wait to hear from you!

We'd love to know what you think about our podcast. Fill out this survey here to have your say <3 Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, leave a review, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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

Anti intellectualism is having a moment. Express an opinion online and they'll be at least five people in your mentions telling you that you're wrong. Maybe you spend your morning drinking coffee with your partner, causing uproar from those who have to be at work in the early hours. Perhaps you hate Marvel films, or dare to prefer one type of bread over another. But is our inability to contextualise the posts we see a form of anti-intellectualism? Are the binaries of 'high' and 'low' culture changing? And should we just let people enjoy things? This week Ione and Eden are discussing whether this constant dumbing down of discourse, art, and everything in between is more insidious than it may seem.

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

Want to support the podcast? If you're a brand or organisation that could help us continue the show, Please fill in this form. Can't wait to hear from you!

We'd love to know what you think about our podcast. Fill out this survey here to have your say <3 Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, leave a review, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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

All of a sudden, everybody is very skinny again. From Kim and Khloe Kardashian to the hundreds of models that just walked fashion week in each various city. Body positivity is no longer popular, Taylor Swift is calling herself fat in music videos, and it feels as though we're back in the same media hell scape that engulfed our pre-teen lives at the turn of y2k. This week, Ione and Eden are discussing why its been so easy for celebrity culture to disregard larger bodies, and what impact treating body types as trends has on us long term.

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

Want to support the podcast? If you're a brand or organisation that could help us continue the show, Please fill in this form. Can't wait to hear from you!

We'd love to know what you think about our podcast. Fill out this survey here to have your say <3 Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, leave a review, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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

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 

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.

Whether its the Try Guys cheating scandal, Jason Sudeikis and Olivia Wildes latest drama, John Mulaney's infidelity or any number of other male celebs who have been caught behaving badly; we're living through the fall of the wife guy. This week, Ione and Eden are discussing the rise and fall of the softest boys of them all. Once a beacon of non-toxic masculinity, with us all being backwardly charmed by a mans ability to love his wife; we're now slowly realising that it was probably an a desperate bid to garner likability all along.

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

Want to support the podcast? If you're a brand or organisation that could help us continue the show, Please fill in this form. Can't wait to hear from you!

We'd love to know what you think about our podcast. Fill out this survey here to have your say <3 Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, leave a review, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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

Open TikTok and your for you page is likely filled with a slew of content capitalising on the lives of strangers without their consent. From random acts of kindness, to asking what someone walking past is listening to or simply starting to record when watching someone behave strangely in public; we're constantly seeking new spectacle to record on our phones in the hope of going viral. On this week's episode, Ione and Eden are discussing the moral ambiguity of building an online following using the unsuspecting public.

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

Want to support the podcast? If you're a brand or organisation that could help us continue the show, Please fill in this form. Can't wait to hear from you!

We'd love to know what you think about our podcast. Fill out this survey here to have your say <3 Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, leave a review, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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

From 'They Don't Build Statues of Critics' t-shirts that echo Britney's 'Dump Him' moment to Twilight baguette bags to controversial 'Father, Son and Holy Spirit' bikinis. We're obsessed with in-jokes, memes and internet nostalgia and their influence on fashion is more prevalent than ever.

But why are we suckers for a reference? And why are fashion brands like Praying and Heaven by Marc Jacobs gravitating towards an aesthetic that mimics the early days of the internet? This week Ione and Eden are discussing digital retrofuturism in fashion and the life cycle of fashion brands that rely on a pop culture reference or a meme to remain relevant and the early days of the internet aesthetic making a comeback.

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

Want to support the podcast? If you're a brand or organisation that could help us continue the show, Please fill in this form. Can't wait to hear from you!

We'd love to know what you think about our podcast. Fill out this survey here to have your say <3 Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, leave a review, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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

From TikTok stars being called out for complaining about their working hours, to those with millions of followers bragging about helping the homeless in the same breath in which they tell us they're spending $90 a day on coffee; are we living through the death of the influencer?

As each online personality merges into a homogenous face of capitalism, we're sick of those with more power than us telling us how to spend our money and what to like. But what comes next? This week Ione and Eden are tracing the rise and fall of influencers, as well as discussing what type of content creators are ushering in the next era of social media power.

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

Want to support the podcast? If you're a brand or organisation that could help us continue the show, Please fill in this form. Can't wait to hear from you!

We'd love to know what you think about our podcast. Fill out this survey here to have your say <3 Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, leave a review, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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

why are rich people so obsessed with using working class people as entertainment? How does social media fuel our voyeuristic gaze on those experiencing poverty? And why are the upper classes still fetishising the poor?

From competition prizes that pay off your energy bills to influencers that build their entire brands on 'thrifty' tips to survive the cost of living crisis; we're living in a dystopian nightmare. Instead of real, tangible advice that would ease the increase of price in essentially everything needed to survive, the media has decided to turn our current crisis into poverty porn. This week on the podcast, we're discussing why and how the medias attempts to 'help' or 'spotlight' working class people so often fall short.

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

Want to support the podcast? If you're a brand or organisation that could help us continue the show, Please fill in this form. Can't wait to hear from you!

We'd love to know what you think about our podcast. Fill out this survey here to have your say <3 Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, leave a review, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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

Representation discourse is back baby! From Ariel and Lizzo's Emmy win, to the queen being a woman, and our third evil prime minister; we're all obsessed with diversity yet again!

For a brief moment in time, it felt like we'd left representation politics in the past. They'd we'd all come to a consensus that diversity discourse was pointless, serving as a shiny veneer to allow un-inclusive institutions to cover their backs and seem as though they were pushing for societal change. Now they're back, and Halima, Ione and Eden are asking why we're so content on accepting the bare minimum.

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

Want to support the podcast? If you're a brand or organisation that could help us continue the show, Please fill in this form. Can't wait to hear from you!

We'd love to know what you think about our podcast. Fill out this survey here to have your say <3 Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, leave a review, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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

If you're anything like us, the drama surrounding Don't Worry Darling has been consuming your every waking thought. Harry Styles spat on Chris Pine! Olivia Wilde lied! Florence Pugh turned up and drank aperol spritz defiantly! But with two weeks until any of us see the actual film, we're breaking down what the drama means for the larger cultural moment we're living in. From post me-too sentiment and the rehabilitation of rotten men, to two women semi-fighting publicly and the cast hooking up on set; we're discussing both the drama itself and how the internet has interpreted, meme'd, and dissected the story — making it impossible to separate reality from fiction.

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

Want to support the podcast? If you're a brand or organisation that could help us continue the show, Please fill in this form. Can't wait to hear from you!

We'd love to know what you think about our podcast. Fill out this survey here to have your say <3 Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, leave a review, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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

Toxic masculinity is running rife on the internet, with both incels and alpha males dominating online culture. But how did we get here? Following on from part one, this week we're concluding our deep dive into masculinity. Interrogating how the internet birthed a new masculinity, one that breeds hatred and division, Ione and Eden are discussing how unregulated media platforms allowed toxic masculinity to thrive.

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

Want to support the podcast? If you're a brand or organisation that could help us continue the show, Please fill in this form. Can't wait to hear from you!

We'd love to know what you think about our podcast. Fill out this survey here to have your say <3 Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, leave a review, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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

Picture a bro in your head, what does he look like? This week, while Halima has two weeks off, Ione is Joined by Polyester social editor Eden Young to kick off our toxic masculinity deep dive. After watching Woodstock 99, we decided to put bro culture under a critical lens; from nu-metal bands to films like American pie and how bros changed the landscape of masculinity forever.

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

Want to support the podcast? If you're a brand or organisation that could help us continue the show, Please fill in this form. Can't wait to hear from you!

We'd love to know what you think about our podcast. Fill out this survey here to have your say <3 Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, leave a review, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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

It's time to BeReal! As the social media app grows bigger and bigger, Ione and Halima have downloaded BeReal to try it out for themselves. The platform promises us the opportunity to see our friends as they really are - but do we really want to? How many selfies of ourselves sitting on the sofa can we really take? As we all strive for a more authentic online experience, the pair are discussing if posting genuinely is all it's cracked up to be; or if we all deserve to live in our inauthentic fantasies in the URL world.

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

Want to support the podcast? If you're a brand or organisation that could help us continue the show, Please fill in this form. Can't wait to hear from you!

We'd love to know what you think about our podcast. Fill out this survey here to have your say <3 Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, leave a review, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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

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.

Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member <3

Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, 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 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.

To celebrate our latest Dollhouse cover girl, Bodies Bodies Bodies star Rachel Sennott (read here!), we're discussing gen z representation in film and tv. Many of this summer's big cinematic releases are geared towards gen z, from A24's aforementioned slasher to Hulu/Disney + Satire, Not Okay. With the Los Angeles times declaring these releases a 'major test' as to whether Hollywood can accurately represent the generation, we're weighing in. Are these films accurate, and entertaining? Or are millennial and Gen X directors misrepresenting young people? Tune in to hear our thoughts.

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

Want to support the podcast? If you're a brand or organisation that could help us continue the show, Please fill in this form. Can't wait to hear from you!

We'd love to know what you think about our podcast. Fill out this survey here to have your say <3 Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, leave a review, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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

What do Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant have in common? They're all girlies! This week Ione and Halima are exploring gender in the world of technology and artificial intelligence. Is the fact all of our 'virtual assistants' women sexist? Does it reinforce backdated gender roles? Or are we other thinking it? Ione and Halima break it down, looking at the research and history of female voices in the virtual world.

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

Want to support the podcast? If you're a brand or organisation that could help us continue the show, Please fill in this form. Can't wait to hear from you!

We'd love to know what you think about our podcast. Fill out this survey here to have your say <3 Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, leave a review, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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

Everyone, including The Kardashians, are very very upset with Instagram. After the head of the app was forced to make a statement following an onslaught of complaints by high profile users towards Instagram's insistence to become TikTok - we're once again taking a deep dive into all of the current social media drama. Why are people protesting outside Meta's HQ? Do celebrities have a right to complain about the algorithm? And did you know high follower users get special treatment when it comes to community guidelines? Ione and Halima are here to break it all down while contemplating how to move forward when using an app that clearly holds contempt for its users.

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

Want to support the podcast? If you're a brand or organisation that could help us continue the show, Please fill in this form. Can't wait to hear from you!

We'd love to know what you think about our podcast. Fill out this survey here to have your say <3 Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, leave a review, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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

This week, Ione and Halima are discussing the ick. Defined as; Something someone does that is an instant turn-off for you, making you instantly hate the idea of being with them romantically. We've all been there. But is the ick a natural response, and something we should talk about openly with each other. or does it signal a toxic strand of #DumpHim feminism that views people as disposable, replaceable commodities?

We'll be deep-diving into all of the above and much more, including some of your reasons for getting the ick.

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

Want to support the podcast? If you're a brand or organisation that could help us continue the show, Please fill in this form. Can't wait to hear from you!

We'd love to know what you think about our podcast. Fill out this survey here to have your say <3 Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, leave a review, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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

Sugar, spice and everything nice; thats what coquette girls are made of. But is the trending aesthetic as innocent as it seems? While self proclaimed coquettes love frills, heart shapes, Lana del Rey, all things french AND all things Americana — and want everyone on TikTok to know their aesthetic is totally unique — the saccharine style reminds us of one thing, Lolitas. 

But has this new wave of ultra-feminine girlies managed to shrug off the damaging stereotypes associated with Lolita style? Or do coquettes also fetishise youth, whiteness and skinniness, creating yet another unattainable standard for women? Ione and Halima discuss!

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

Want to support the podcast? If you're a brand or organisation that could help us continue the show, Please fill in this form. Can't wait to hear from you!

We'd love to know what you think about our podcast. Fill out this survey here to have your say <3 Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, leave a review, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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

The girlies on TikTok are using their vagina fluid as perfume, practising their 'O' faces under the assumption it helps attract a lover, and practising pseudo spirituality as a means of empowering their 'dark femme energy'. But are these practises feminist, or simply pick up artist techniques for the girls? And do these behaviours enable women to take a greater portion of control in relationships, or is it all an illusion? Ione and Halima are discussing all this and much more this week.

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

Want to support the podcast? If you're a brand or organisation that could help us continue the show, Please fill in this form. Can't wait to hear from you!

We'd love to know what you think about our podcast. Fill out this survey here to have your say <3 Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, leave a review, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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

Cultural critic Rayne Fisher-Quann tweeted "Ottessa Moshfegh is on the verge of getting woman’d I can feel it (woman’d is what I call it when everyone stops liking a woman at the same time" at the end of June and opened up the debate for whether female celebrities always deserve to be "cancelled". This week's episode debates whether it is always a case of misogynistic hatred, which women have suffered from being woman'd and how the internet is becoming a more and more toxic place for women to exist.

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

Want to support the podcast? If you're a brand or organisation that could help us continue the show, Please fill in this form. Can't wait to hear from you!

We'd love to know what you think about our podcast. Fill out this survey here to have your say <3 Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, leave a review, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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

All across our social feeds, girlies online are embracing religion and creating memes out of catholicism. Whether you've bought the Praying 'father, son, and Holy Spirit' bikini, or still can't stop thinking about Julia Fox praying in her cut editorial - christianity is back baby! But is this appropriation of religious iconography a harmless foray into aesthetics, a subversion of their power, or simply in bad taste? We're discussing the origins of the trend, its current incarnation, and if we should be aestheticising a religion that still harms so many people.

Please note, this episode was recorded prior to the overturning of Roe vs Wade on the 24th of June 2022, we'll be discussing this news in upcoming episodes.

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

Want to support the podcast? If you're a brand or organisation that could help us continue the show, Please fill in this form. Can't wait to hear from you!

We'd love to know what you think about our podcast. Fill out this survey here to have your say <3 Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, leave a review, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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

Love Island is back! And as the reality series returns, so does the age old discourse; should reality tv be inclusive? Or is inclusivity on these shows a poisoned chalice that sets the 'diverse' contestants up for failure? This week Ione and Halima are discussing whether its best to let reality tv be trashy, guilty pleasures that do not reflect the wider world; or if there's a better way forward, in which inclusivity is not retroactively fitted and those of us who love the genre aren't left with a bad taste in our mouths.

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

Want to support the podcast? If you're a brand or organisation that could help us continue the show, Please fill in this form. Can't wait to hear from you!

We'd love to know what you think about our podcast. Fill out this survey here to have your say <3 Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, leave a review, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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

In this live Sleepover Club special, Halima and contributing culture editor Misha MN sit down with director Ninja Thyberg to discuss her debut feature film, Pleasure. A raw and groundbreaking exploration of the adult film industry, we chat with Ninja about her decision to use actors from the adult industry, maintaining safety on set, challenging conceptions about porn, how she went from anti-porn activist to advocate, and much more.

We've also teamed up with MUBI to offer 30 free days of MUBI to all podcast listeners, meaning you can check out the film and join in our digital watch party this Monday, 20th, over on our instagram @polyesterzine. Click here to watch the film! Pleasure is now showing on MUBI in the UK, Ireland, Italy, Turkey and Latin America

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

Want to support the podcast? If you're a brand or organisation that could help us continue the show, Please fill in this form. Can't wait to hear from you!

We'd love to know what you think about our podcast. Fill out this survey here to have your say <3 Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, leave a review, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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

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.

Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member <3

Order Ione's book, Poor Little Sick Girls, 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 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.

Musicians are being held captive! Forced to step onto the content treadmill and churn out TikTok's that they supposedly don't want to make, this week Halima and Ione are discussing whether the social media platform is helpful or harmful to those in the industry.

We'll be dissecting the impact of those videos; the ones in which musicians lament the fact their labels are forcing them to partake in TikTok trends. As well as debating autonomy, whether forcing artist's into content creation is stifling their creativity, or if they're just being snobs towards a platform that isn't necessarily made for them.

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

Want to support the podcast? If you're a brand or organisation that could help us continue the show, Please fill in this form. Can't wait to hear from you!

We'd love to know what you think about our podcast. Fill out this survey here to have your say <3 Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, leave a review, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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

DeuxMoi has been unmasked, with the famed gossip account being run by two socialite-adjacent white New York women. In honour of her no longer anonymity, we're discussing the legacy of modern gossip accounts. Do celebrities set themselves up for this type of attention, or do gossip accounts encourage a gross surveillance state? And once these accounts aren't anonymous anymore, can they ever retain their integrity? Especially when they start monetising their content? Ione and Halima argue it out on the podcast this week!

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

Want to support the podcast? If you're a brand or organisation that could help us continue the show, Please fill in this form. Can't wait to hear from you!

We'd love to know what you think about our podcast. Fill out this survey here to have your say <3 Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, leave a review, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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

As the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard civil trial comes to an end, Ione and Halima are discussing the case. From why the internet is so anti-Amber, what the discourse surrounding it says about how we treat white men, and whether #MeToo is well and truly finished.

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

Want to support the podcast? If you're a brand or organisation that could help us continue the show, Please fill in this form. Can't wait to hear from you!

We'd love to know what you think about our podcast. Fill out this survey here to have your say <3 Have an opinion and want to be featured on an upcoming episode? We want to hear from YOU! Send us your thoughts on this episode to ione@polyesterzine.com, leave a review, or drop us a DM on Instagram.

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