Avatar Preview is broken; no mention of Avatar update

[idallen]

I go to My Settings
I choose Avatars
I choose Upload an Avatar
I choose Browse
I select an image from my computer
I select Save
I reposition the rectangle
- the Preview is replaced with a half yellow triangle and doesn't come back
- resizing and repositioning do nothing to bring the preview back
- I see no Preview
I select Save and Continue
I repeat the repositioning for the thumbnail
- the Preview is replaced with a half yellow triangle and doesn't come back
- resizing and repositioning do nothing to bring the preview back
- I see no Preview
I select Save

It says "Success!" but the fine print says "After it's approved, your
avatar will be updated" which is an important detail that really should
be made full-size and not tiny letters.

When I go back to My Settings -> Avatars, there is no mention of an update
to the avatar pending, so it looks like everything I just did was wasted.
Why doesn't the Avatar screen tell me that an update is pending approval?

[57]

The same thing happens with attachments.  It takes a while for any image to be approved by the mods. This is to avoid spam or inappropriate images.  

[idallen]

How useful to know in detail why they require images to be approved.

Not even I was aware that I didn't know why.

Alas, knowing why doesn't relate to my three complaints, which are about the UX not the policy.