Some members simply do not wish themselves to be seen, Just as some don't wish to name their Location. All members have a choice; it is why we have passwords; for safety.
My profile has a photo of my altar, but not of me.
Good grief, I don't understand at all why it concerns people when other members refuse showing their real pictures as their profile pictures.
To begin with, it's everyone prerogative to use whichever picture they want as their website's avatar (profile picture), unless the picture is breaking the site's terms of service, of course.
Secondly, everyone deserves their intimacy and privacy, as no one can take that away from them. And frankly, I actually recommend and encourage members to take care of themselves and their privacy, and to think twice before giving out too much superfluous or private information over the internet.
Beyond that people may have myriad reasons of keeping their real pictures private, and all of them are indeed very justified and understandable. I cannot see the reason for asking members who take care of themselves and keeping their privacy to justify what they're doing as it is very understandable and even recommended.
Now then, you can have a small list of different reasons for keeping your privacy and yourself safe:
1. It's for your own safety. You need to feel safe and protected while you are surfing over the internet.
2. You don't feel exposed due to giving out your pictures and other different personal information that must not be given according to the site's terms of services *(yes, this is included in the policies and the terms of service)*.
3. If someone's will is not to give out their real life pictures, that is their full prerogative!
4. Pictures can be plagiarized and used maliciously against the original posters of the pictures. Again, that is all about safety and privacy over the internet.
5. Maybe people prefer using abstract paintings as their avatars (profile pictures). There's nothing wrong with that, at all.
6. The pictures can be violated in many different ways (Zalkari said one thing about them being used magically wrong, which is also one valid point).
So shortly, everyone has the right to keep profile pictures private.
I just think it's a hassle to get into discourse and sharing with people who have no idea what I am about. I will not discuss my convictions with someone who found me on the site by logging in here on false pretenses and curiosity and expecting me to justify myself the next time they see me - or find me on purpose.
I was not aware it was necessary to share my identity with 100's of strangers going in and out of this site day after day. If they want to know who I am, they can earn my trust, get on my good side, then ask! That simple.
I Personally just don't and i have a picture of my own eye up. I have had that picture up over the course of the few years that i have been here. When i left and came back in 2011, that picture greeted me. My favorite color then and still now is purple. My eyes obviously are not purple, but i made it purple because it not only is my favorite color, but a very spiritual color. If one looks carefully at that photo, you can see a crescent moon and a shooting star. Those represent my love for the stars and the vastness of the universe.
This picture is my own. For it is my eyes.
Do not judge the willingness of others for you just do not know. Some people may not be comfortable with it and it is not ones place to question that.
as a kid my parents told me never to put a picture of myself online, just sort of stuck. my facebook profile picture is an anime person as well. not because i'm scared, i just really like that picture, and at the time my hair was cut short with a long braid to one side like the character.
same reason for my picture here, when i made this account i was a huge fan of the anime [still my favourite anime] and i found this picture, loved it, and used it. that's all. over the years, i've associated myself of SoM as Robin, no i look nothing like Robin, for one thing i've got dark auburn hair, not blond. i also don't post my location because it's nobodies business. if you ask i'll tell you my country, but why does it matter if i'm in london, kyoto, or juno?
pictures of people can be used as a way to cast over others. many natives believe camera's steal a piece of your soul and trap it inside the photograph, so they refuse to take pictures of each other. personally, i associate a persons profile picture with themselves, it doesn't have to be an actual picture, it's just how i associate a person. i do tarot readings, and i like to have a picture to use because i visualize everything i do, it could be a pentagram, or it could be a wolf, it doesn't matter as long as i can focus on something that represents you. don't see why profile pictures are such a big deal. it's all personal preference.
