Bubba Sue the pig, cover star of Paper magazine Paper Photograph: Paper

Miley Cyrus and her pig: how to pose on a magazine cover with animals

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Non-human cover stars are two-a-penny in the publishing industry. Just check out Miley with Bubba Sue on the new issue of Paper magazine. But, as many celebrities past and present show, you have to pick your companion with care…

Miley Cyrus and Bubba Sue the pig the cover model on the current issue of Paper magazine Paper Photograph: Paper

In the competitive world of magazine covers, you’re nobody unless you’ve posed with an animal. But while animals make excellent props, if you thought the fashion industry was fickle, the career of a fashion animal in fashion is comparably merciless. Foxes? Replaced by owls. Owls? Eclipsed by tortoises. Horses? Mate, 2009’s on the phone and it wants its various equidae memes back. So which animals are most photogenic? And which ones best suit your message? Ask Miley Cyrus, who appears on the cover of Paper magazine with pet pig, Bubba Sue. Not an outlandish move for a magazine that attempted to break the internet with a naked Kim Kardashian, yet this cover has gone viral because Bubba Sue does excellent duckface and, in a fun twist, appears to be shoulder-robing Miley Cyrus like a naked, pop-y jacket. You’re welcome, Peta!

If you’re planning a cover shoot with an animal, here are five to choose from and why they work.

How Kim Kardashian broke the internet with her butt

Karlie Kloss with rescue dog, Hollywood, on the Summer 2015 issue of Porter magazine Porter Porter Photograph: Porter

Why? Because you care. About animal welfare but also deeply about how you are perceived by fans. Karlie Kloss, a model openly “numbed by celebrity” appeared on the summer cover of Porter magazine with ironically named rescue dog, Hollywood. Oprah, meanwhile, has adopted a Madonna approach to animal adoption, and is regularly photographed with rescue dogs on the cover of her eponymous magazine. They include Sadie, her puppy, which came from a Chicago animal shelter.

Carry a lamb

Penelope Cruz with a lamb on the March 2011 issue of Elle Japan Elle Japan Elle Japan Photograph: Elle Japan

Why? Because you’re vegan. Or vegetarian. Or lean-meat only. Or rebuilding your life post-paleo. Or into spring as both a season and lifestyle. (Insider tip: lambs are hard to catch and harder to carry but when held correctly, double up pretty effectively as tabards.) And, as proven by Penelope Cruz on the cover of Elle Japan, dirty white really brings out a tan.

Hold a cluster of newborn chicks

Kate Upton for issue 1 of CR magazine CR Photograph: CR

Why? Chicks are really, really hard not to crush, thus proving a model’s range. Model Kate Upton was photographed by Bruce Weber for issue one of Carine Roitfeld’s CR magazine holding a group of newborn, presumably to symbolise the magazine’s themes of birth and motherhood. Rumour has it the shoot featured a lot of spilled wee (the chicks’, presumably).

Use your pet

Lady Gaga on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar holding her French Bulldog, Asia Photograph: Sebastian Faena for Harper's BAZAAR

Why? Such a bleakly vanilla move but, as Karl Lagerfeld found out from Choupette, his very famous cat, pets can be another lucrative string to your multinational bow. To wit: Lady Gaga with her French Bulldog, Asia, hooked over her handbag Paris Hilton-style on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar.

Rabbits are timeless

Drew Barrymore on the cover of Pop magazine in November 2008 Pop Pop Photograph: Pop

Why? Rabbits are great because they make scary people look less scary. They also never go out of fashion because they’re cheap, available and relatively low maintenance, provided you have outdoor space or your photographic studio has a wipe-clean floor. Plus hop rhymes with pop.

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