Gen Z is using ‘polyester’ as an insult. It’s actually a throwback.

Gen Z is using "polyester" as an insult, but the term has been in use for about half a century, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. The fabric, made from melted crude oil or PET bottles, was once marketed as a miracle fabric that promised freedom from the hassle of ironing in the 1950s and '60s. However, its novelty soon faded, and as the environmental movement gained traction in the 1970s, people began to view polyester as inauthentic and low-quality.

This sentiment resurfaced on social media platforms, particularly TikTok, where users mock the fabric's cheap and tasteless appearance. While polyester has improved in terms of sweat-wicking capabilities, it remains a subject of controversy due to the microplastics it sheds and the toxic chemicals used in its production. The environmental impact of both natural and synthetic fabrics is complex, with cotton cultivation contributing to environmental degradation while polyester's resource-intensive production process generates significant greenhouse gas emissions.