logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2025
29m 48s

Are You 'Too Pretty to Work', or Just a ...

THE POLYESTER PODCAST
About this episode

"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.

Up next
Today
Who Is Nick Fuentes? What is a Groyper? And How Is Red Scare’s Dasha Nekrasova Involved?
<p>Nick Fuentes has spent five years building not only a name for himself but an army of his own to fight in what the far right incel community has dubbed the groyper war. The live streamer uses his platform, America First, to push for an ultra conservative agenda not just among ... Show More
28m 56s
Nov 10
Is Having A Boyfriend Embarrassing Now? Dissecting The Essay That Set The Internet Ablaze
The internet, left and right leaning, has been set ablaze by a ragebait headline and a deep dive into our dating practices or rather, our online posting of our burgeoning and established relationships. The British Vogue article, titled 'Is It Embarrassing To Have A Boyfriend' fee ... Show More
26m 12s
Nov 3
Let’s Talk About Lily Allen's New Album, West End Girl
West End Girl has taken the internet by storm as Lily Allen returns to the charts with a new confessional album dissecting the relationship breakdown between her and ex husband David Harbour. From the extremely detailed lyrics to the, well, even more extremely detailed lyrics, fa ... Show More
29m 17s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2022
7| The Pleasure of Excellence: How can we “be great” under capitalism?
<p>Is it possible to pursue Excellence unabashedly without it being capitalism&#39;s fault? Do we have work spaces that are not defined by or centered around the work of money? How do we have a loving relationship with ourselves as working beings while living in a society with ex ... Show More
33m 15s
May 2025
Yair - Marching to Gaza to oppose genocide
Yair has recently been accepted to work in a human rights organization, but he hasn’t begun his training as planned, since on his first day on the job, he got arrested during a march to the Gaza Strip to oppose the genocide together with 300 activists. He has been in house arrest ... Show More
40m 2s
Nov 2024
ليه بننتقد الانفلونسرز بس بنتابعهم؟ - Fashion Blogging: Career or Controversy?
‏<p>ليه البلوجر دي شغلانة اصلا؟ وايه الصعب في ان واحدة تتصور وتحط صورها على السوشيال ميديا؟ هندخل جوة عالم البلوجرز ونفهم عن طبيعة الشغلانة اكتر مع دانية نوح. <br /><br />In this episode of Female Formula, we sit down with Dania Nouh to discuss why being an influencer is consider ... Show More
45 m
Nov 12
Two Years of Genocide: Motherhood Under Fire in Gaza
Two years into Israel’s relentless bombardment of Gaza, we listen closely to Yaqeen Baker, a mother of two little daughters, Salwa (5) and Nusaiba (2). She shares what it means to be a mother under constant Israeli fire; to love, to fear, and to hope amid the destruction. We also ... Show More
34m 20s
Oct 19
The Untold Story of the Gaza Ceasefire - Thomas Small
Thomas Small is a historian and filmmaker best known as co-host of the Conflicted podcast, where he explores Middle Eastern history, geopolitics, and religious thought alongside ex-jihadi Aimen Dean. He also writes on ancient Christian spirituality and global conflict dynamics. T ... Show More
1h 22m
Feb 2025
Red Hot Take: Dialectics at the Dawn of Techno-Feudalism
Breht discusses American Capitalism's Death Drive Accelerationism, how the only path that's left for capitalism is to return us to fuedalism "at a higher level", how dialactics plays out in this context, and why the purposeful cultivation of inner silence and stillness and love i ... Show More
31m 55s
Aug 28
"Lebanon's Moment of Truth" with David Schenker (Ep.429)
An episode discussing David Schenker's latest policy analysis titled "Lebanon's Moment of Truth" and the multiple variables needed to line up for Hezbollah's disarmament to succeed and for Israel's full withdrawal to take place. With David Schenker, former United States Assistant ... Show More
38m 42s
Feb 2020
230. Eve Ensler (Jason Plays Favorites #2) – no way out but through
[From February through March 22, 2020 (his last day hosting Think Again) Jason will be revisiting favorite past episodes. Jason's new show, starting May 12th, is Clever Creature with Jason Gots.] -- Note: I feel I should let listeners know that this episode of Think Again is abou ... Show More
1h 2m
Dec 2024
Give and Take
‏In this episode, we talk through some literary news from Algeria and France, discuss two big translations out this fall from towering authors, as well as a new favorite by Maya Abu al-Hayyat. Then we turn to Read Palestine Week and the new collection focused on writers in Gaza, ... Show More
1 h
Jun 2024
love or transaction? (hard to tell these days)
👉 Enjoyed this episode? There’s way more unfiltered, unhinged, and uncensored content on our Patreon. For the price of one sad iced coffee a month, you can join the community and fund our existential spiral: Patreon.com/BobosvoidFollow us on Instagram/TikTok/Youtube @bobos.voidE ... Show More
1h 9m