What does my tattoo say about me?

“It definitely says I don’t take what I put on my body too seriously, but I like that. I have no regrets. Jeremy Corbyn has the strongest mandate of any Labour leader.”



And what it really says

Ah, the impulse tattoo. Many of us have been there, when we were young. A friend of mine has a marijuana leaf with the words DO-IT underneath (love that hyphen). Several have a smudgy world, or a tarot-style sun, or a heart, or stars. I have the name of a friend who died young on my arm. I’m happy it’s there, though, as I age, I wonder if I should have a full list of dead friends. Perhaps with a black line through their names, like they’ve been crossed off a register. Fun!

Kierran’s impulse tattoo, of the current leader of the Labour party, is more serious than most. It’s larger and more complicated, for a start (thus, more expensive). Plus, it’s expressing a belief, a mission, a love. It has more in common with a tattoo of Lady Gaga than a picture of a happy dolphin. It shows commitment, this carved-in-flesh representation of St Jeremy of Corbyn. It reminds me of religion.

Because the tattoo is on his back, Kierran won’t see it much. In fact, given the UK weather, not many people will see it at all. It’s intimate, exposed only to those he gets close to. This is a good idea: we all have sex with people who hold different views to us (at least, we should do, for variety) and seeing JC too early might put some people off their stroke.

It’s interesting that Kierran had his tattoo done when he was in Australia. Travelling makes you think differently about home. It can make you sentimental. Travel also makes you braver, more spontaneous and free. Away from the restrictions of parents or education or job, your own approach to life becomes more important. A tattoo shows the world that you have your own beliefs, as you begin to understand what that might mean.

If you would like Miranda to cast an eye over your favourite possession, email a photograph to magazine@observer.co.uk