# Avatar shape—theme dependent **URL:** \ **Category:** Site Feedback\ **Created:** [May 9, 2025, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-shape-theme-dependent/1018172 "2025-05-09T20:36:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-shape-theme-dependent/1018172/21 "2025-05-10T03:01:19Z")
You should welcome your new circumferential overlords. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-shape-theme-dependent/1018172/22 "2025-05-10T07:02:16Z")
I want to add my vote to those who want the actual proper rectangular image restored for the Straight Dope Light theme. It needlessly cuts off parts of the image to suit some developer’s idea of what an avatar should look like. Happily, my own avatar isn’t affected, but the avatar of one of our most active mods, @What_Exit, which was a Ukrainian flag, now looks like a dome. Think before you act, people! Consider leaving things alone! ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-shape-theme-dependent/1018172/23 "2025-05-10T07:49:04Z")
I’ll second (third? fourth? whateverth) that. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-shape-theme-dependent/1018172/24 "2025-05-10T08:15:42Z")
Same here. Give us our squares back. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-shape-theme-dependent/1018172/25 "2025-05-10T09:26:10Z")
Who moved my cheese? 🧀 ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-shape-theme-dependent/1018172/26 "2025-05-10T09:47:58Z")
My poor hippo! ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-shape-theme-dependent/1018172/27 "2025-05-10T09:50:48Z")
Yeah, mine is messed up as a circle, too. Can we put it to a vote or something? ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-shape-theme-dependent/1018172/28 "2025-05-10T12:22:59Z")
I vote square. Anyone else notice the 1 on your avatar when someone has quoted you used to be yellow; now its purple? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-shape-theme-dependent/1018172/29 "2025-05-10T12:29:29Z")
Yep. That was bitched about ion another thread. The magnifying glass and hamburger menu are now so subdued that they look disabled controls, not live ones. We have 40 years now of GUI convention that dimly lit barely constrasting controls are not live at the moment but might be live under different circumstances. Don’t take that routine predictability away for ill-considered reasons. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-shape-theme-dependent/1018172/30 "2025-05-10T12:37:24Z")
And the indication that you have new stuff (replied to you, DMs, etc.) is also smaller and less contrasty. That was the change that bothered me. Also, i was wrong. I’ve seen circles in some places, but a lot of you used to look like squares in most places to me, too. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-shape-theme-dependent/1018172/31 "2025-05-10T12:43:20Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Yep. That was bitched about ion another thread. The magnifying glass and hamburger menu are now so subdued that they look disabled controls, not live ones. Y’all should switch to Straightdope Dark theme. Bright white magnifying glass and hamburger icons, and square avatars! I see LSLGuy’s avatar in all its square glory. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-shape-theme-dependent/1018172/32 "2025-05-10T12:57:02Z")
Thanks for the recommendation. I’m trying it right now and you’re certainly right that it’s still high contrast and square avatars. I ran my work iPad in dark theme all the time just to stretch the battery life out to a full workday without having to carefully ration my use throughout my shift. Didn’t much like it that way, but I got used to it. Sigh. I’ve never been a fan of dark mode for actual reading & writing and such. I’ll give this a fair try & see if I can ~~adapt~~ overcome. I see I don’t much care for how it renders deleted and inserted text; the pink and green colors are much more visible in SD Light. These look like somebody just picked the RGB inverses of the SD Light colors, rather than picking colors to contrast properly with a dark background. At least **bold** and underline look good. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-shape-theme-dependent/1018172/33 "2025-05-10T15:10:21Z")
The SD Light Theme is currently broken: [Defective top chrome tagline starting 2025-05-09 - #9 by Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defective-top-chrome-tagline-starting-2025-05-09/1018177/9) Once it’s fixed, our custom CSS rule that square-ifies the avatars should come back in effect. [![](https://i.imgur.com/hdiJZdm.png) ](https://i.imgur.com/hdiJZdm.png) ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-shape-theme-dependent/1018172/34 "2025-05-10T15:55:03Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > And the indication that you have new stuff (replied to you, DMs, etc.) is also smaller and less contrasty. That was the change that bothered me. For me in SD Light it went from yellow on blue to a different shade of blue on blue. Definitely a bad change. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-shape-theme-dependent/1018172/35 "2025-05-10T16:32:17Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > For me in SD Light it went from yellow on blue to a different shade of blue on blue. Definitely a bad change. That wasn’t a deliberate change either. The entire theme broke, so all its customizations are gone until the theme is fixed. (The SDMB header and footer were separate files that continued to work.) ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-shape-theme-dependent/1018172/36 "2025-05-10T16:38:54Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > Anyone else notice the 1 on your avatar when someone has quoted you used to be yellow; now its purple? Is that what’s going on! I keep taking it for the you’ve-got-a-message icon; though that is, or at least used to be, green. > [@solost](#): > > Y’all should switch to Straightdope Dark theme. I’m apparently odd. I find dark themes extremely hard to read. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-shape-theme-dependent/1018172/37 "2025-05-10T17:13:04Z")
It’s definitely not just you; dark themes start hurting my eyes pretty quickly. For now, I’ve switched to Sam’s Simple Theme. There’s too much light blue for my taste, but it’s the least offensive of the other available themes. 🙂 When Straight Dope Light is fixed, I’ll revert. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-shape-theme-dependent/1018172/38 "2025-05-10T17:18:38Z")
FWIW, I’ve always used the Discourse Classic theme, and I’ve never had any problems with it. (It’s a light theme.) ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-shape-theme-dependent/1018172/39 "2025-05-10T18:02:26Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > For now, I’ve switched to Sam’s Simple Theme. There’s too much light blue for my taste, but it’s the least offensive of the other available themes. 🙂 When Straight Dope Light is fixed, I’ll revert I’m not having all that much trouble with Straight Dope Light. I expect I’ll just stick with it. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-shape-theme-dependent/1018172/40 "2025-05-10T18:28:34Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > I expect I’ll just stick with it. Me too. I don’t like the changes but they’re only minor annoyances. I still prefer it to the other themes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-shape-theme-dependent/1018172.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-shape-theme-dependent/1018172.md?page=3)