Darren's Avatar

Darren

@mxdarren

29. Writer and activist according to Metro UK. One of Attitude mag’s 101 LGBTQ trailblazers 2022. Podcast - https://linktr.ee/turninglewkspod Opinions are mine. They/She

754
Followers
304
Following
146
Posts
27.09.2023
Joined
Posts Following

Latest posts by Darren @mxdarren

The pokemon game on google to celebrate Pokemon's 30th is pretty cute

27.02.2026 14:42 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Preview
Dylan Blundell on Queer Beauty, Cool-Tone Comebacks and Letting Makeup Get Messy Again Confidence, creativity, and why makeup doesn’t have to be clean to be powerful.

New on Turning Lewks 💄🌈

Chatted with Dylan Blundell about queer beauty, cool-tone comebacks & why makeup should be messy again.

It’s about expression, not perfection.

Read here: turninglewks.substack.com/p/dylan-blun...

#queerbeauty #turninglewks

25.02.2026 12:04 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Preview
Howard Kong on Modern Femininity, Red Carpet Balance, and Trusting Your Own Timeline Howard Kong’s makeup doesn’t shout - it glows.

New blog post! I chatted with Howard Kong all about modern femininity in makeup ✨

From soft-glam to red carpet ready, and all about trusting your own timeline. 💄💫

Read it here 👉 turninglewks.substack.com/p/howard-kon...

#TurningLewks #MakeupMood #GlowUp

26.01.2026 12:14 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Preview
Why Algorithm Beauty Is Fading (and Colour Is Making a Comeback) There is no denying that there has been a growing shift recently in how young people (Gen Z and A) are interacting with social media, the internet and technology.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how Gen Z and Gen A are changing their relationship with the internet and how that shift is showing up in beauty.

The sift from algorithm-led, short-form content to people craving ownership, slowness and intention again. ⬇️

turninglewks.substack.com/p/why-algori...

19.12.2025 15:27 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

I went shopping at Battersea today and bought from m&s, Uniqlo and space nk… I’ve become so middle class and I hate it

09.11.2025 15:51 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Preview
Dark Glam Is In: Inside the Gothic Makeup Trend of 2025 Dark lips, smoked-out eyes, sharp liner: gothic-inspired makeup has stepped firmly into the spotlight.

To celebrate #Halloween today, I've written a blog on one of the biggest #makeup trends of 2025 - Dark Glam.

Read it here: open.substack.com/pub/turningl...

31.10.2025 11:11 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Post image

New Turning Lewks ep is live! 🎙️

This time I chat with Lexi Blac - Glow Up S7 star, drag queen, and MUA.

We cover his drag-to-MUA journey, behind-the-scenes of Glow Up & his mission to put colour + creativity back at the heart of makeup.

Listen here: creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/...

01.09.2025 09:23 👍 3 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
Post image

New Turning Lewks ep is live! 🎙️

This time I chat with Lexi Blac - Glow Up S7 star, drag queen, and MUA.

We cover his drag-to-MUA journey, behind-the-scenes of Glow Up & his mission to put colour + creativity back at the heart of makeup.

Listen here: creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/...

01.09.2025 09:23 👍 3 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
Preview
How to Spot if a Beauty Brand is Truly Trans-Inclusive Written by Darren Mew, Founder of Turning Lewks Podcast

Finding beauty brands that truly align with your values can feel harder than ever - especially around #TransRights.

I wrote a new piece for Gender Swap on how to spot if a #beauty brand is genuinely #trans-inclusive (and not just performative).

Read it here 👉 genderswap.org/blog/f/how-t...

22.08.2025 14:56 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Post image

Ahem

12.08.2025 18:46 👍 18374 🔁 4169 💬 379 📌 153

“Protecting women and children” is the fig-leaf white, privileged, cis men wear to try and maintain their power and status* while they punch down on minorities! 😖

A power and status granted to them *because* they’re white, privileged, cis men! (They KNOW this, which is why they’re so fragile!) 😣

10.08.2025 09:01 👍 67 🔁 18 💬 3 📌 0
Video thumbnail

🚨HAPPENING NOW: Hundreds arrested in Parliament Square in protest organised by Defend Our Juries

The arrest of otherwise peaceful protesters is a violation of the UK’s international obligations to protect the rights of freedom of expression and assembly.

1/3

09.08.2025 16:57 👍 530 🔁 273 💬 27 📌 48
Preview
The trans rights stitch-up How government plans to silence debate on the new rules

How UK lawmaking has given up on parliamentary democracy…

“The EHRC consultation was a mortifying stitch up, whose cynicism was only diluted by its incompetence. Rarely has an organisation been so embarrassingly obvious in its attempt to secure a particular result” 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 @iandunt.bsky.social

25.07.2025 12:11 👍 50 🔁 21 💬 1 📌 0

Millennials in jorts… it’s giving midlife crisis.

19.07.2025 16:11 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

I’ve become that really annoying person when ordering drinks “do you have Coke Zero? Only diet? Lemonade then.” “Can I get a decafe oat latte”

19.07.2025 15:36 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

It’s 2025 can we stop using Born this way on pride posts

19.07.2025 13:22 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Video thumbnail

Police in Canterbury today informed a protestor that the phrase "Israel is committing genocide in Gaza" could be considered a declaration of support for Palestine Action and therefore a terrorism offence.

15.07.2025 21:18 👍 2482 🔁 1133 💬 352 📌 579

This is section 28 all over again.

16.07.2025 07:15 👍 47 🔁 9 💬 3 📌 2

I fully expect Bridget Phillipson - also the Minister for Education - to entirely disregard any responses to the EHRC consultation, in the same way she did in the consultation about trans-inclusion in PSHE education in schools - which had 2/3 support but was still ignored! 😣😖

16.07.2025 07:59 👍 134 🔁 31 💬 4 📌 4

I’ve somehow gotten 3 insect bits in my armpit and they’re quite painful 😭🤣

28.06.2025 11:57 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

What is a “queer leader”? I see the term being thrown around on LinkedIn all the time and I’m still yet to understand what it means. Like I really don’t get how you “lead” a community or identity 🤷

14.06.2025 11:00 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 2 📌 0

You can really tell now much of a fag someone is by the length of their shorts. Happy pride.

13.06.2025 11:04 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Video thumbnail

“I’m always ready for Mon Mothma Summer.”

Genevieve O’Reilly dancing to Niamos! ☀️🪩

06.06.2025 19:19 👍 200 🔁 39 💬 3 📌 5
Preview
FEEL GOOD IS HERE! A TRANS+ MAKEUP PROGRAMME We are so excited to launch a brand new makeup support programme for Trans+ people in London this year, in collaboration with Turning Lewks Podcast and The Outside Project, called the FEEL GOOD progra...

So excited and thrilled to be part of this project! The brand new makeup support programme for Trans+ people in London will be bringing you a plethora of exciting new resources, content and a mix of online and in person makeup workshops.

Find out more: genderswap.org/blog/f/feel-...

06.06.2025 13:35 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Reminder:

If you support Harry Potter in any way, you are directly funding legal attacks on trans people.

There is no separating the art from the artist in this case.

24.05.2025 11:25 👍 930 🔁 439 💬 1 📌 3
Post image Post image

UN experts are calling on politicians and lawmakers to protect the human rights of trans+ people in the UK, let’s make them listen! WRITE TO YOUR MP. Find a tempate here: docs.google.com/document/d/1...

@nancymk.bsky.social @jessothomson.co.uk

23.05.2025 11:45 👍 308 🔁 135 💬 15 📌 8
Post image

New episode of my #makeup #podcast is out now! This month I chat with MUA Grace Insole about product development, MUA lead beauty brands and so much more!

Listen on your preferred streaming platform here: linktr.ee/turninglewks...

19.05.2025 20:24 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

EHRC is presently facing several imminent legal actions, a telling off from individual MPs and the UK joint committee on human rights.

04.05.2025 11:30 👍 13 🔁 4 💬 1 📌 0
Post image

TERFs these days be like

01.05.2025 10:29 👍 5 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Post image Post image

Today I've written to Bridget Phillipson to ask for clarity on how the government will ensure trans people's rights in the wake of the recent Supreme Court ruling and EHRC guidance. At a moment of extreme worry and distress for the trans community, govt must step up and give assurances.

28.04.2025 16:59 👍 949 🔁 206 💬 52 📌 33