Darylle’s tattoos: The hidden meanings behind the Love Island contestant’s body art

A piece of body art tells a thousand words, know what I mean?

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"You know that Darylle?" You ponder, sipping on a cold beverage, drinking in the summer sun and revelling in the fact that it may be coming home.

"From ITV2's Love Island?" I reply, nonchalantly.

"She's got a lot of tattoos hasn't she," you comment, observationally.

"Yeah she has."

"But what do they mean?"

We've all had this conversation since Darylle entered the Love Island villa. Thankfully we're here to put these debates to rest once and for all, we've done our homework and have uncovered the hidden symbolism of the living and breathing canvas that is Darylle's skin.

Interestingly, if the meanings are to be believed they could reveal how Darylle's future in the villa could unfold. Alternatively, she could have just picked them because they "looked sick".

The ram – Symbolises strength and leadership

The first thing you notice the moment you clap eyes on Darylle is the near life-sized tattoo of a ram on her stomach.

The ram has long been considered a symbol of strength, determination, initiative and leadership. However, there are also possible satanic implications as the evil horned God Baphomet takes the form of a ram. Going to be honest, she's not really giving off the satanic vibe so it's probably the leadership stuff.

However, it could be much simpler than that – the ram is also the symbol of the star sign Aries. So has Darylle just put her star sign on her stomach? I'm a Virgo and you don't see me walking around with Dr Alex plastered on my chest.

The cobra – Symbolises guile and deception

Lads, I'm not gonna insult your intelligence by explaining what a snake means. It means a snake. Someone that is snakey. Someone that will get with Adam despite him being pledged to Zara on the outside.

However, it turns out the cobra is also a symbol of royalty – dating back to ancient Egypt where it was the symbol of the pharaoh. The King of All Snakes. The Most Snakey. The Cobra.

The skull – Represents death and wisdom

The Red and White Rose may well symbolise the victory of Henry VII at the Battle of Bosworth, 1485

Fun fact: Skulls are the only part of the human skeleton that are easily recognisable even when buried or broken – other bits of the skeleton can often be confused for rocks. Therefore we are clearly attuned to have a deep emotional connection with skulls – a connection symbolised on Darylle's left leg by a crying woman putting her hand on the skull. This could be an example of phrenology – measuring the skull of someone to gain insight into the workings of their mind.

However, the smarter theory is that it is actually a reference to Hans Holbein's seminal painting "The Ambassadors" which features numerous hidden skulls.

The ambassadors angle is particularly fitting as Darylle will surely become an ambassador for numerous midweek club nights in Weston Super-Mare, Redditch and Lincoln for many months to come.

"Samira and Georgia see through your bullshit, 2018, colourised"

A weird bird hybrid – Represents freedom and perspective

Tbh it took me absolutely ages to figure out what bird this is supposed to be. Its got the wings of an eagle, the head of a chaffinch (or maybe a parakeet?) and the neckline of what could possibly be a collared dove.

Either way, birds are frequently referenced as prophetic – such as the vultures seen by Romulus just before he founded Rome or the magpies you see every day whose number determines your life happiness and the future sex of your child.

Possibly this could mean that Darylle looked over all her opportunities like a hawk, before swooping in for Adam and grabbing him between her talons.

A glass of Tequila Sunrise – Represents elegance and romance

Much like the end of the seemingly bottomless cocktails you ordered on your life changing gals trip to Ayia Napa – we are scraping the bottom of the barrel here.

What meaning could a cocktail, permanently printed on your elbow, possibly have? My money is that it represents a particularly personal memory for Darylle – hopefully getting absolutely hammered at an airport Wetherspoons before flying to Magaluf.

This could mean that she's up for getting involved in the Villa's rumoured infinite alcohol supply – but also her choice of a tattoo that's slightly wackier or less mainstream might suggest that she's someone that just likes doing things for fun without thinking about the consequences. Like stealing someone's man in front of the entire British public.

A picture tells a thousand words

And a tattoo is no different. Through each tattoo we gain insight into Darylle's character, and the type of person who would have a stud piercing on her spine. Maybe she likes the pain. If so, she'll hugely enjoy it when Adam dumps her for the next girl that walks in.

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