x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

The Polyester Podcast

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

society & culture

All Episodes

29:58

Cute Debt - Is Klarna Killing Our Self Esteem?

The Polyester Podcast ·

2025/10/27

Would you rather one payment of $150 or three monthly payments of $50? Is this pizza basically free if I pay $4 for a few months rather than twelve bucks at once? As the famously moral financial institution CashApp once said, “Little payments are so much cuter.”In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina look at the rise of "cute debt" - the monicker given to Buy Now, Pay Later schemes that pointedly target young women - discussing how the dangers of debt have been replaced by the glamorisation of

en

27:53

Why Kim Kardashian’s Pubic Wigs Are So Depressing

The Polyester Podcast ·

2025/10/19

2025 has been the year of the pube, from bushtok going viral for promoting an overgrown mon pubis to the sold out SKIMS merkins that Kim Kardashian launched last week, we can't stop talking about our intimate hair - or lackthereof.While some point to the Margiela couture show last year that promoted fake pubic freedom for the rise in intimate hair's popularity in the zeitgeist, this week's episode looks at the wider implications that the Kardashian pube thong represents. Tackling the fashion week

en

29:24

On Taylor Swift's Biggest Flop To Date: ‘The Life Of...

The Polyester Podcast ·

2025/10/12

The reception to Taylor Swift’s twelfth studio album has been markedly different than historic fan reactions; as Swifties and Swift haters unite to deliver the best meme about how bad the new music is.In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina dissect the poorly received Charli xcx diss track, why the album’s lyricism has fallen flat, and whether just how rubbish The Life Of a Showgirl is indicates how an ardently capitalist point of view rots the joy out of good pop music.Support our work and

en

32:13

Is Harry Potter Worth Human Rights Violations? The...

The Polyester Podcast ·

2025/10/05

It doesn't take much to goad JK Rowling into a Twitter tirade these days (allegedly.) A fake news story about bra buying in Markses? Up for days raving about it? A former colleague gives a milquetoast response about differing opinions and expresses love towards her? Time to take advantage of the X Premium perk of no word count limit. Pronouns in bio? Great opportunity to go berserk. In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina get to grips with the ongoing dissonance between actors signing up for

en

26:38

Is Jimmy Kimmel A Martyr For Fascist America?

The Polyester Podcast ·

2025/09/28

It's been an absolutely mental month for the US media and one face has emerged as the hero of free speech for the Left, a person none of us saw coming to the pulpit to expunge us of our sins: Jimmy Kimmel. The late night host was promptly reprimanded by being taken off the air after making light of Trump's lack of visible grief over the murder of Charlie Kirk, only to be quickly reinstated after mass boycotts across America following the firing. In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina dig into

en

29:14

Are We All Doomed To Have AI Boyfriends?

The Polyester Podcast ·

2025/09/21

If over half of gen z have interacted with an AI companion and dating apps are rolling out bots to date on your behalf - where is the line drawn between real love and falling for a fantasy?In this week's episode, Ione and Gina dig into the growing romantic relationships people are having with Replika, how AI companies are ignoring queerness, whether or not bot love is legitimate and why everyone is ignoring the ecological impact of AI chat bots.Support our work and become a Polyester Podcast member

en

27:43

Is Woke Cool Again? Why The Dirtbag Left Are Pivoting

The Polyester Podcast ·

2025/09/14

Another day, another Cumtown alumni going viral for doing something politically sound - from Adam Friedland's interview with Ritchie Torres to Stavros Halkias challenging his podcast guest on transphobic rhetoric, the former courters of controversy have apparently done a complete u turn on their previous edgelord output.This week, hosts Ione and Gina take a look at what's made the most famous male members of the dirtbag left change their tune on social justice, whether 'dark woke' is working in

en

27:50

We’ve Had ENOUGH of The Performative Male

The Polyester Podcast ·

2025/09/07

The newest evolution of softboi has just landed with the most on the nose name yet - the performative male. He reads Sylvia Plath outside indie coffee shops as he sips matcha. He has a Labubu and his Labubu has a cute nickname. He is a little bit Letterboxd famous and he calls his mother once a week. He's also the worst man you have ever dated in your life.In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina get to grips with whether this new archetypal male is anything new, or if men have always manipulated

en

28:14

Taylor Swift’s Engagement, Toxic Fandom, And The...

The Polyester Podcast ·

2025/08/31

It's been a bumper month for Taylor Swift - when is it not? - as she made her first ever podcast appearance, announced a new album and got engaged all within the space of a fortnight. As everyone online and off gears up for what will likely be a never ending news and meme cycle on the singer's upcoming nuptials, many quake in fear for what the Swift fandom are going to unleash on anyone who doesn't stan the songwriter in the upcoming months.In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina use Swift/Kelce

en

30:36

Ethel Cain vs. Lana Del Rey: Is This The Sad Girl...

The Polyester Podcast ·

2025/08/24

Our favourite Americana girlies are fighting! Alligator wife Lana Del Rey aired her beef with American Teenager singer Ethel Cain to the public by sharing a snippet of an upcoming diss track entitled 'All About Ethel'. The lyrics call out Cain for hating her Instagram post, posing similarly with the pair's shared ex Jack Donoghue and trying to be the most famous girl at Waffle House. In the hours and days since, Nicki Minaj has waded into the beef, fans think they've worked out which Peter Griffin

en

35:57

Why Does The Internet Keep Getting Worse? Ft. Slop...

The Polyester Podcast ·

2025/08/17

Slop content - AI generated videos and images created to bait engagement on social media content - is getting more and more unavoidable. Whether you’ve been duped by bunnies on trampolines or enthralled by a AI cat fronted soap opera; we face a social media landscape that's no longer fit for purpose.This week, Ione and Gina dive into who benefits from the enshittification of the internet, why bots have taken over the comment section and how the bleakness of our feeds mirror the state of wider

en

29:28

From The Tea App To Princess Treatment: How The Right...

The Polyester Podcast ·

2025/08/10

Should you quiz your man on if he's doing princess treatment or the bare minimum? Are you allowed to look waiters in the eye or would that ruin you and your husband's night? Have you tried to check if your Hinge date is a creep and ended up getting doxxed by 4chan? If you're single and looking to mingle, these extreme situations - or, extreme online recommendations of how to act - are getting more and more commonplace. In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina discuss how the right wing agenda is

en

30:08

Are Sydney Sweeney's Jeans The Harbinger Of Doom?

The Polyester Podcast ·

2025/08/03

It's been over a year since we last spoke about Sydney Sweeney and how many online and off see the Euphoria actress as a MAGA spokeswoman. Her latest scandal - an American Eagle advert celebrating the blonde's "great genes" - cements Sweeney's spot as the right's poster child.In this week's episode, recorded before that expose revealing Sweeney is a registered Republican - hosts Ione and Gina dig into how fast speed advertising has changed the role of celebrity, why brands are being more blunt about

en

27:53

Is It 'The Gen Z Stare' Or Have Young People Always...

The Polyester Podcast ·

2025/07/27

Just as the internet once spent years ripping into the minutia of what made up Millennial sociological habits and expression, now the younger generation is feeling the flack as social media takes the mickey out of 'the gen z stare'. The look itself is comprised of staring blankly when presented with a query, especially when in a work environment.In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina ask whether young people have always been seen as rude or whether gen z have a particularly obvious feeling of

en

33:30

Our Verdict on Lena Dunham’s Too Much: Are We So Back...

The Polyester Podcast ·

2025/07/20

We're back from our (unplanned, sorry!!)break with a big one. Lena Dunham has returned to television with a Netflix series that many online are claiming to be as good as - or even better than - Girls, the much lauded HBO show that launched her career. Conversely, critics are writing scathing reviews for broadsheets about the portrayal of romance, women and London in the show. But which is it? And are our hosts impressed with the Megan Stalter fronted romcom?This week, Ione and Gina get to grips with

en

31:25

The Summer Of Crashing Out: Justin Bieber, Cory's...

The Polyester Podcast ·

2025/06/29

Ding dong the witch is dead - in a Scooby Doo worthy unveiling, the 'Helen McDougal' that began infamous British influencer gossip forum has been unmasked as vegan influencer Sebastian Bond. In the aftermath, TikTokers like Cory's World are cashing in on the moment to detail exactly how hate on platforms like these and trolls across the board has affected their mental health. Following a similar through thread of crashing out, Justin Bieber is going viral almost daily for his Instagram antics,

en

26:34

Labubu? Lafufu? LaTime Has Come To Stop This Nonsense

The Polyester Podcast ·

2025/06/22

We're addressing the elephant kids toy in the room - the Labubu craze. You've definitely seen these monsters everywhere from exclusive brand collabs to Gemma Collins' Instagram reels to hanging off handbags while you wait in line at the cocktail bar. But where did they come from? And why is everyone going absolutely mad for the Pop Mart blind box item? This week, our hosts Ione and Gina go head to head about the validity of Labubu collecting, the Lafufu fakes populating the market and why nobody is

en

29:02

Yes, We’re Talking About Sabrina Carpenter’s Album Cover

The Polyester Podcast ·

2025/06/15

Freeze! The Polyester Podcast had a whole episode planned for our lovely listeners until Sabrina Carpenter delivered us feminist discourse on a silver platter, or rather, on a silver dog leash. On Wednesday, the singer announced her forthcoming summer album titled 'Man's Best Friend' along with artwork picturing Sabrina on all fours having her hair pulled by an anonymous suited figure.Is the cover art a clever continuation of Carpenter's satirisation of female sexuality or are we being conned into

en

31:48

Kylie Jenner's Boob Job, Kris Jenner's Facelift & The...

The Polyester Podcast ·

2025/06/08

Last week Kylie Jenner cemented her new identity as a ‘girl's girl’ revealing the specificities of her boob job while momager Kris chimed in with details of not just one face lift, but two of them. Are the KarJenners finally letting their guard down about how they crafted themselves in line with the modern beauty standards they've helped craft, or is it all a marketing ploy to win relatability brownie points for the family?In this episode of The Polyester Podcast, hosts Ione and Gina are ripping

en

32:42

Skinnytok, Crunchy Teens , & The Return Of Pro Ana...

The Polyester Podcast ·

2025/06/01

The writing has been on the wall for a while - Thin is in, pop songs are referencing eating disorders and flexing our ribcages in selfies and fashion content is back full force. In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina get stuck into the spectre that has been haunting social media platforms for the past six months and more - the pervasive return of pro ana content, now newly dubbed #Skinnytok.From influencers like Liv Schmidt launching secret members clubs with tips on cutting calorie counts to

en

231 results

Similar Podcasts

The Daily Horoscope

The Daily Horoscope

The Michael Decon Program

Michael Decon

Kalimera Koveos

Andrea Koveos

The Documentary Podcast

BBC World Service

Smarter leben

DER SPIEGEL