But today's celebrities have NOTHING on flagrantly using animals to get publicity. Because the starlets of yesteryear bought cheetahs. As pets. The picture at the top is actress Phyllis Gordon shopping in 1939 with a cheetah she had flown in from Kenya, presumably so that she could terrify store clerks into giving her discounts.

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Our knee-jerk reflex is to write Gordon off as a solitary eccentric, but she was actually far from being the only actress of her era to own a cheetah. The famous Josephine Baker had Chiquita:

Getty Images / Hulton Archive



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And here Joan Blondell takes the unusually cruel step of color-coordinating with her pet:

poeticandchic

The leopard version of Buffalo Bill.

We could go on -- cheetahs were basically the go-to pet for famous actresses in those days. If it weren't for the whole animal welfare thing, we almost think it would be pretty awesome to see Paris Hilton try to walk around with one of these on her shoulders.

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For more photos that'll put hair on your chest (even you, ladies), check out 7 Images Too Badass To Be Real (That Totally Are) and 10 Photos Capturing Moments of Spontaneous Badassery.

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