How The Left Turned On Woke

The Polyester Podcast

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17:27

Why do so many of us get nervous when public speaking? Communication expert Lawrence Bernstein says the key to dealing with the pressure is as simple as having a casual chat. He introduces the "coffee shop test" as a way to help you overcome nerves, connect with your audience and deliver a message that truly resonates. After the talk, Modupe explains a similar approach in academia called the "Grandma test," and how public speaking can be as simple as a conversation with grandma. Want to help shape TED’s shows going forward? Fill out our survey ! Become a TED Member today at ted.com/join Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

about a year ago 29:56

MP3•Episode home

All in all, it feels like the left is turning its back on being societally progressive in order to win click bait points in the culture war and in this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina ask why leftist figureheads are so happy to sell out their marginalised comrades in favour of media attention.

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 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.

214 episodes

#Society #Arts #Polyester

How The Left Turned On Woke

The Polyester Podcast

26 subscribers

published about a year ago

MP3•Episode home

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 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.

214 episodes

#Society #Arts #Polyester

All episodes

1
Skinnytok, Crunchy Teens , & The Return Of Pro Ana Content 32:42

3 days ago32:42

32:42

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 crunchy teens falling hook, line and sinker for Robert F. Kennedy Jr's Make America Healthy Campaign to hyper focus on their food intake, the internet is riddled in body negative language that stands to harm 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. 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.…

1
Where Are The Thinkers? Why Pop Culture Feels Doomed Right Now 34:05

10 days ago34:05

34:05

Currently trending on TikTok, FKA Twigs is going viral for an interview in which she asks the host and the crowd - "Where are the thinkers?" While internet users raise eyebrows at her question, one that ignores the socioeconomic conditions that affect our ability to create, this week our hosts Ione and Gina use the soundbite to discuss the wider problem at hand - when did pop culture turn into such a flopfest? We deep dive into the continuing escalation of how we consume media - from smashing that 1.5x speed button to the sheer amount of content available - and what effect it has on the creation of meaningful culture. 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.…

1
Is Ovulation Making You Horny Or Is It Fascist To Think So? 27:41

17 days ago27:41

27:41

The girlies are going feral across the internet - one one hand, Lorde is calling ovulation the best drug she’s ever taken. On the other, TikTok’s reveal during ovulation many of us get uncontrollably horny. But is it true? Do our hormones control our libidos and cognition or do we have more free will than that? TikTok wellness huns are using pseudoscience to back up their claims, while Twitter feminists take to their feeds to fight back against the dehumanising nature of having our personalities attributed to hormone cycles. In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina pick apart the inherent bio-essentialism of ovulation discourse, the alt right's push for focusing on fertility and how these conversations feel like a step back for women. 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.…

1
Not Everything is a Recession Indicator 28:48

24 days ago28:48

28:48

Black tights under denim shorts? Recession indicator. Good outfits at the Met Gala? Recession indicator. Crying because you can't afford to pay your one in three Klarna payment for a Domino's pizza last month? Recession indicator. This week, our hosts Ione and Gina are dissecting our latest impulse to jump at the chance to label every single behaviour a recession indicator. Is it an attempt to make a meaningful connection with others about struggling under benefit cuts and Trump's tariffs? Or an irony tinged dodge at having to accept how bad things are? 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.…

1
Is Jojo Siwa Letting Down Lesbians Or Are We Over Intellectualising Reality TV? 28:43

4 weeks ago28:43

28:43

Who'd have thought at the announcement of this year's Celebrity Big Brother cast that the two people being chatted about the most are Jojo Siwa and ex-Love Islander Chris Hughes. If you didn't know - the pair's intimate friendship in the house caused chaos on social media as many accused Jojo of emotionally cheating on her partner, the Neighbours actor Kath Ebbs. In this week's episode, our hosts Ione and Gina break down Jojo's complicated time in the limelight from Dance Moms to coming out to now, what queer celebrities owe to the communities they represent and why we all keep taking reality telly at face value. 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.…

1
We Live in Hell ft: Katy Perry In Space, AI Selfie Dolls And The Great Teeth Debacle 29:07

6 weeks ago29:07

29:07

It's been a helluva week for the news cycle and our social feeds - Katy Perry's been on Amazon's first, girls only, space trip (for exactly 11 minutes), Aimee Lou Wood has taken to Instagram stories to call out an off colour joke about herself on Saturday Night Live and everyone has taken to ChatGPT to generate extremely specific and fairly ugly blister packed dolls of themselves. Stuck between which to cover, we decided to dig into it all. In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina take apart everything wrong with the Blue Origin rocket trip that took an all female crew into space on the 14th April including the environmental impact, classism implications and faux feminism the journey's being marketed as. After the break, the pair get into the cringe inducing AI created dolls so many of our peers are posting on the Insta as well as the disheartening SNL impersonation that's caused distress for The White Lotus actress Aimee Lou Wood. 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.…

1
Are You 'Too Pretty to Work', or Just a Victim Of Alt Right Psyops? 29:48

7 weeks ago29:48

29:48

"I'm too pretty to work." "This face wasn't meant to know excel." "Looking for a man who doesn't want me to work." On the surface these adages are silly throwaways in the face of a late capitalist work culture that has made trying to make a living a literal hellscape - or are they? In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina take apart the trend of dreaming for a rich husband and reckon with a not too distant past where women's liberation was inherently linked with being financially independent. Is it tradwife rhetoric that's making us romanticise reliance on a spouse? Can work ever be empowering? And what do we lose from seeing beauty as a requirement for a good life? 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.…

1
Adolescence: TV Event Of The Year, Or Too Little Too Late? 31:03

8 weeks ago31:03

31:03

Just like clockwork, a gritty British Netflix drama about a taboo topic is doing the rounds - last year it was Baby Reindeer and this year it's Adolescence. The Stephen Graham produced and fronted programme takes a look at how the manosphere and incel culture are corrupting a whole generation of teenage boys - but does it manage the subject well? In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina discuss whether or not the TV show does a good job of exploring the radicalisation of young men, whether or not it should be shown as part of the curriculum and why we shouldn't totally dismiss telly that gets people talking about underrepresented issues. 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.…

1
Why is Labour Using Disabled People to Peddle The Lie of The Benefit Thief? 32:52

9 weeks ago32:52

32:52

If there's one scapegoat the government loves to roll out when it's doing poorly, it's the benefits thief. This imaginary person uses loopholes and caveats to steal tax money to buy themselves tellies and holidays in Lanzarote. In the UK, the new-ish-ly elected Labour party has announced new budget reforms that plays into this trope with an especially sinister new edge - tightening the pursestrings of the benefit system specifically against disabled people. In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina break down what's actually being proposed by our Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, the need to work being framed as life's purpose and the ableism that has always been inherent in capitalist society. 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.…

1
We Trialled The Morning Shed So You Don’t Have To 30:34

10 weeks ago30:34

30:34

You must've seen some form of this morning routine on your feed in the last six months: A woman removing a chin strap, mouth tape, sheet mask, lip stain, silk bonnet, heatless curling rod and/or nose magnets with a caption explaining how 'the morning shed' saves them time, helps regulate breathing and, ‘most importantly’, aids the de-aging process. While we thought we were past the point of portraying skincare as self love, this week our hosts Ione and Gina try out the morning shed for themselves and report back on whether the trend is a bit of fun, actually useful, a load of bollocks or a lie in and of itself. 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.…

1
Why Is Gen Z Suddenly Jealous Of Millennials? 31:44

11 weeks ago31:44

31:44

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.…

1
Society Has Never Hated Fat People As Much As We Do Right Now 32:44

12 weeks ago32:44

32:44

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.…

1
How The Left Turned On Woke 29:56

13 weeks ago29:56

29:56

In a new interview, singer songwriter Sam Fender claimed he understood why young white men from Northern towns are being radicalised by misogynist social media influencers like Andrew Tate - it's because they're being accused of having privilege. In similarly convoluted language, Novara Media has rage baited the nation by releasing content claiming Woke Is Dead to promote Ash Sarkar's new book that includes questions on the effectiveness of identity politics. All in all, it feels like the left is turning its back on being societally progressive in order to win click bait points in the culture war and in this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina ask why leftist figureheads are so happy to sell out their marginalised comrades in favour of media attention. 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 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.…

1
The Bianca Censori Deep Dive: a Victim, Empowered, or a Secret Third Thing? 28:58

14 weeks ago28:58

28:58

At the start of this month Bianca Censori and her husband Kanye West courted controversy at the 67th Grammy Awards with a stunt that they've become fairly renowned for - brazen female nudity. The act got them allegedly kicked out of the award show and made waves across social media as many rushed to put words into the notoriously mute Bianca's mouth. Across the board, people wonder publicly if Kanye's wife is a a victim of coercive abuse or a performance artist in her own right. In this week's episode, hosts Ione and Gina explore Bianca's backstory, get to grips with the repercussions of assigning someone as an abuse victim without their input and question what it is precisely about Bianca's styling choices that inspire such extreme reactions from the press and the public. 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 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.…

1
Why Are Slurs Suddenly ‘Cool’ Again? 31:26

15 weeks ago31:26