The Lena Dunham Renaissance Is Here
The Polyester Podcast
The Polyester Podcast
4.5 • 533 Ratings
🗓️ 26 April 2026
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Did Girls shape a generation (or two) of women? Yes. Is Famesick a great memoir? Yes. Should we be more forgiving of the writer considering everything she has (and hasn't) been through? Maybe.
This week, hosts Ione and Gina get to grips with one of the most controversial figures of our lifetime - the inimitable over-sharer Lena Dunham. It's undeniable that the multi hyphenate has had an indelible impact on culture and as the 2010s icon reflects on the highs and lows of a life shaped by a HBO deal at the age of 23, this episode charts the hits and misses of the much anticipated memoir.
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!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hi, Gina. Hi, Ioni. Hi everyone. I'm Gina, the senior editor of Polyester. And I'm Ayoni, the founding editor-in-chief of Polyester. And this is the Polyester podcast, a feminist pop culture podcast dissecting the discourse on a weekly basis. |
| 0:14.5 | Please make sure to like, rate, subscribe and review. And if we didn't already know, members get a free copy of every zine we put out as well as lots of extra perks like one-on-one mentoring, a group WhatsApp chat where you can talk to me and Ione and loads, loads more. |
| 0:29.9 | Sign up via the link in our description. Do you have any reviews, Ioni? |
| 0:33.7 | What the hell? No reviews. |
| 0:38.2 | But we do have lovely Spotify comments. |
| 0:40.4 | Yay! We love the Spotify comments. |
| 0:42.7 | Comments are so Spotify for us. |
| 0:44.6 | This is on the last week's episode about Botox changing our heads, hearts and not just our bodies, as well as GLP ones. |
| 0:53.0 | Which someone was so rude to me about in the |
| 0:54.6 | comment section sorry to keep coming in with this as fucking always to be honest um but also they |
| 1:00.4 | didn't know that was you replying what do you mean it was me is that i only gamble oh |
| 1:08.0 | we don't have the polyester account no anyway me shrew Misha Ehrmann says, The Beauty is the Great Shelf of 2026, released the Isabella Rossellini costume archive, Isabella for the cover, Isabella for an Emmy, which I agree with all of those things. Isabella for cover, for sure. The beauty should get renewed for season two. What would happen? Or did they leave it on Cliffanger? They left the Clifth Tower, yeah Not going to say Alright I feel like that's a bit much |
| 1:29.9 | Meal about What would happen? Or did they leave it on Cliff Hanger? They left Clifthanga, yeah. What was it? Not going to say. All right. I feel like that's a bit much. Mayelle Abel says, the intro had me rolling. There's actually so much theory on the baby crying thing. Some experts think letting them cry causes trauma because their body learns their needs won't be met. Unfortunately, ethics exists, so that isn't strong data. |
| 1:48.1 | Also, everyone just hyperfixated on the baby crying thing that you said. |
| 1:51.1 | Oh, it was obviously a little joke. |
| 1:55.1 | I promise that please understand that we are coming from a place of humour as well. I don't think that babies are manipulative. |
| 1:58.1 | Great. |
| 1:59.4 | On the record. |
| 2:00.7 | Statement on the matter. I do not think babies are manipulative. Who. On the record. Statement on the matter. |
| 2:01.6 | I do not think babies are manipulative. |
| 2:04.2 | Who is manipulative? |
| 2:05.9 | Me. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Polyester Podcast, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The Polyester Podcast and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.