Polyester’s Ione Gamble selects: What to do, read and watch

Polyester Zine’s founding editor-in-chief Ione Gamble has released a new anthology titled The Polyester Book of (Bad) Taste. The collection explores the wide-ranging ways people form connections through media that society often dismisses. Gamble says the timing of the book’s release felt like a natural convergence with current online debates about taste and culture.

The project began with a desire to look past the homogenized luxury goods that often dominate cultural conversation. Instead of focusing on designer handbags or high-fashion trends, the book turns toward reality television, teen magazines, and the soap opera The OC. The essays collected in the volume cover a vast range of experiences, from growing up Christian to handling fandom as an adult.

Contributors to the book include comedian Cat Cohen, fashion writer Yomi Adegoke, and former Rookie founder Tavi Gevinson. Other names on the list of authors include Angela Hui, Sabrina Brier, Kieran Yates, and the staff of Polyester itself. The pieces are described as heartwarming and educational, offering perspectives on identity that Gamble says she hadn’t considered before.

The book attempts to dismantle the idea that taste is a tool for social climbing. Gamble notes that her team views these cultural artifacts as a way to collect with one another rather than to signal status. This shift away from elitism toward community is central to the project’s mission.

Reality TV and the art of the feud

Gamble argues that reality television often offers a level of emotional complexity found in arthouse cinema. She writes about the Real Housewives of New York, describing the original run of the series as effective in portraying female friendships and feuds. This perspective challenges the snobbery often leveled at unscripted television.

John Waters, a filmmaker and writer who inspired Gamble to start Polyester, is frequently cited in the book. Waters has recently argued that bad taste has been co-opted by political movements, but Gamble disagrees. She believes the American right represents “no taste” rather than bad taste. To Gamble, bad taste is a form of discernment and a rejection of the status quo.

The internet has changed significantly since Polyester began. Gamble observes a “dearth of good criticism” in 2026, noting that many publications are beholden to advertisers and journalists often retreat from criticism due to fears of online harassment. Projects like The White Pube, which has been publishing accessible art criticism for over a decade, provide a counterpoint to this trend.

Gamble frequently returns to the idea that taste can be a source of oppression. She points out that the way we define taste is often shaped by classism, sexism, and racism. The book suggests that taste doesn’t have to feel oppressive. It can be a tool for world-expanding connection and community building. In this way, the anthology serves as a reminder that cultural preferences are deeply personal.