Something's Missing From This 'TFIOS' Mag Cover

There's still over a month to go before The Fault in our Stars hits theaters, but already, the movie and its stars seem to be everywhere you look. Between that new extended trailer, the release of that gorgeous soundtrack, and all those amazing Tumblr memes, the past few weeks have been all about John Green's teenage love story. Not that that's a bad thing, of course; the general rule of thumb is the more TFIOS in our lives, the better. Yet if it felt like the movie was everywhere before, the truth is, its pop culture domination is only getting started; beginning with Shailene Woodley and Alsel Elgort's appearance on this week's Entertainment Weekly cover, it looks like the next month is going to be majorly Fault-centric. Okay? Okay.

EW's cover article features Woodley and Elgort cozying up, both actors dressed casually in T-shirts. Underneath, a headline rightly proclaims that TFIOS is "the greatest romance story of this decade." The most noticeable part about the cover, however, is Woodley's lack of cannula. In both the book and the movie, Hazel (Woodley) wears a necessary breathing tube, and the device's appearance in the film was a welcome sight for many fans who were nervous producers would choose to leave it out. Few movie characters, let alone protagonists, are ever seen with disabilities, likely out of fear it would alienate audiences and make the character less "pretty." Showing Hazel's cannula so clearly in TFIOS' adaptation, then, was considered a triumph. So it's a shock to see Woodley grace the EW cover cannula-free, and it raises a troubling question: did the magazine leave out Hazel's breathing tube in order to avoid alienating readers?

The probable answer is no. There's no indication that Woodley and Elgort are posing for the cover in character, and Woodley, unlike Hazel, has no need for a cannula. Still, it would've been nice to see the breathing tube in place, for as rare as it is to see a movie character with a disability, it's even less common to see magazine cover star looking anything less than "perfect." Showing Woodley as Hazel, wearing such a visible sign of her illness, would've been a huge step for pop culture's depiction (or lack thereof) of those with disabilities.

Still, there's much to celebrate about the cover, such as how great Woodley and Elgort look together as a couple, even a fake one. After that worrisome lack of chemistry at the MTV Movie Awards, it's a relief to see the actors look so comfortable together. Here's hoping Hazel and Gus' connection is just as strong.

Check out the cover below:

Image: 20th Century Fox