I'm not saying Adele is not allowed to ever look different; just that when the decision appears to have been made FOR her, such that she snaps into more of a Vogue mold, it appears to undercut the honor of putting her on the cover in the first place. Kind of like when they stuck Meryl Streep on there in a way that felt very patronizing, like, "Here, America. Fine. It's Meryl. Chuck her on a rock and let's get this over with."