After watching a documentary about underwater births, Cobain began brainstorming ideas for the Nevermind cover. He had intended to use an actual photo of water birth, but the record label was not thrilled with the graphic image. So Nirvana went with plan B, the now-iconic image of a naked baby swimming toward a dollar bill on a fishhook from the album. Kirk Weddle chose 4-month-old Spencer Elden, the son of a friend, as his cover model. Elden's family reportedly received $200 for the 15-second shoot, and Elden had never met any members of Nirvana as of 2016. Elden filed sexual exploitation lawsuits against Cobain's estate and Nirvana's surviving members in August 2021, as the album's 30th anniversary