Replacing an avatars' face with an @ symbol feels like some violence has been done to a person — in other contexts, portraits are defaced by scribbling over the

Replacing an avatars' face with an @ symbol feels like some violence has been done to a person — in other contexts, portraits are defaced by scribbling over the eyes or face, and that is what this icon feels like. Additionally, the @ symbol usually means email, and I'd expect to end up in a mail compose window after clicking an icon with such a prominent '@'.