diff --git a/packages/circuit-ui/components/Avatar/Avatar.stories.tsx b/packages/circuit-ui/components/Avatar/Avatar.stories.tsx
index bdb6025488..201e5b7e1b 100644
--- a/packages/circuit-ui/components/Avatar/Avatar.stories.tsx
+++ b/packages/circuit-ui/components/Avatar/Avatar.stories.tsx
@@ -27,7 +27,8 @@ export default {
     docs: { page: docs },
   },
   argTypes: {
-    imageUrl: { control: 'text' },
+    src: { control: 'text' },
+    alt: { control: 'text' },
     variant: { control: { type: 'radio', options: ['business', 'person'] } },
     size: { control: { type: 'radio', options: ['yotta', 'giga'] } },
   },
@@ -35,7 +36,8 @@ export default {
 
 export const base = (args: AvatarProps): JSX.Element => <Avatar {...args} />;
 base.args = {
-  imageUrl: 'https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/86/Avatar_Aang.png',
+  src: 'https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/86/Avatar_Aang.png',
+  alt: '',
   variant: 'person',
   size: 'yotta',
 };
@@ -45,12 +47,14 @@ export const sizes = (): JSX.Element => (
     <Avatar
       size="yotta"
       variant="person"
-      imageUrl="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/86/Avatar_Aang.png"
+      src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/86/Avatar_Aang.png"
+      alt=""
     />
     <Avatar
       size="giga"
       variant="person"
-      imageUrl="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/86/Avatar_Aang.png"
+      src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/86/Avatar_Aang.png"
+      alt=""
     />
   </Stack>
 );
@@ -59,9 +63,10 @@ export const identity = (): JSX.Element => (
   <Stack>
     <Avatar
       variant="person"
-      imageUrl="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/86/Avatar_Aang.png"
+      src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/86/Avatar_Aang.png"
+      alt=""
     />
-    <Avatar variant="person" />
+    <Avatar variant="person" src="" alt="" />
   </Stack>
 );
 
@@ -69,8 +74,9 @@ export const object = (): JSX.Element => (
   <Stack>
     <Avatar
       variant="business"
-      imageUrl="https://source.unsplash.com/EcWFOYOpkpY"
+      src="https://source.unsplash.com/EcWFOYOpkpY"
+      alt=""
     />
-    <Avatar variant="business" />
+    <Avatar variant="business" src="" alt="" />
   </Stack>
 );
diff --git a/packages/circuit-ui/components/Avatar/Avatar.tsx b/packages/circuit-ui/components/Avatar/Avatar.tsx
index 5569d3b3fb..bfbd597da4 100644
--- a/packages/circuit-ui/components/Avatar/Avatar.tsx
+++ b/packages/circuit-ui/components/Avatar/Avatar.tsx
@@ -13,18 +13,21 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
-import { HTMLAttributes } from 'react';
+import React, { HTMLAttributes } from 'react';
 import { css } from '@emotion/core';
 import isPropValid from '@emotion/is-prop-valid';
 
 import styled, { StyleProps } from '../../styles/styled';
 
-export interface AvatarProps
-  extends Omit<HTMLAttributes<HTMLDivElement>, 'size'> {
+export interface AvatarProps extends HTMLAttributes<HTMLImageElement> {
   /**
-   * The URL of the Avatar image
+   * The Avatar image source
    */
-  imageUrl?: string;
+  src?: string;
+  /**
+   * Alt text for the Avatar
+   */
+  alt: string;
   /**
    * The variant of the Avatar, either representing a person or a business
    */
@@ -33,15 +36,6 @@ export interface AvatarProps
    * The size of the Avatar
    */
   size?: 'giga' | 'yotta';
-  /**
-   * Alternative DOM element to render
-   */
-  as?: 'label';
-  /**
-   * htmlFor when the element is a label
-   * TODO the element should extend either a div or a label
-   */
-  htmlFor?: string;
 }
 
 const avatarSizes = {
@@ -54,34 +48,44 @@ const placeholders = {
   business: `<svg width="96" height="96" viewBox="0 0 96 96" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M30 25C30 20.0294 34.0294 16 39 16C43.9706 16 48 20.0294 48 25C48 29.9706 43.9706 34 39 34C34.0294 34 30 29.9706 30 25Z" fill="white"/><path d="M41.1571 60.5691L30.6742 48.3905C29.0304 46.4808 26.0517 46.5483 24.496 48.5304L8 69.5483V81.9998C8 85.3135 10.6863 87.9998 14 87.9998H19.9592L41.1571 60.5691Z" fill="white"/><path d="M70.4856 32.878C72.0409 30.876 75.0425 30.8075 76.6876 32.7363L87.9996 45.9986V81.9986C87.9996 85.3123 85.3133 87.9986 81.9996 87.9986H27.6611L70.4856 32.878Z" fill="white"/></svg>`,
 };
 
+type StyledImageProps = Omit<AvatarProps, 'variant' | 'size'> & {
+  variant: 'person' | 'business';
+  size: 'giga' | 'yotta';
+};
+
 const baseStyles = ({
   theme,
-  imageUrl,
-  variant = 'person',
-  size = 'yotta',
-}: AvatarProps & StyleProps) => css`
+  variant,
+  size,
+}: StyledImageProps & StyleProps) => css`
   display: block;
   width: ${avatarSizes[size]};
   height: ${avatarSizes[size]};
-  box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 ${theme.borderWidth.kilo} rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
+  box-shadow: 0 0 0 ${theme.borderWidth.kilo} rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
+  background-color: ${theme.colors.n300};
   border-radius: ${variant === 'person'
     ? theme.borderRadius.circle
     : theme.borderRadius.tera};
-  border: none;
-  background-color: ${theme.colors.n300};
-  background-size: cover;
-  background-position: center;
-  background-image: url('data:image/svg+xml;utf8,${placeholders[variant]}');
-
-  ${imageUrl &&
-  css`
-    background-image: url(${imageUrl});
-  `};
+  object-fit: cover;
+  object-position: center;
 `;
 
+const StyledImage = styled('img', {
+  shouldForwardProp: (prop) => isPropValid(prop),
+})<StyledImageProps>(baseStyles);
+
 /**
  * The Avatar component.
  */
-export const Avatar = styled('div', {
-  shouldForwardProp: (prop) => isPropValid(prop),
-})<AvatarProps>(baseStyles);
+export const Avatar = ({
+  src: initialSrc,
+  alt = '',
+  variant = 'person',
+  size = 'yotta',
+  ...props
+}: AvatarProps): JSX.Element => {
+  const src = initialSrc || `data:image/svg+xml;utf8,${placeholders[variant]}`;
+  return (
+    <StyledImage src={src} alt={alt} variant={variant} size={size} {...props} />
+  );
+};
diff --git a/packages/circuit-ui/components/ImageInput/ImageInput.tsx b/packages/circuit-ui/components/ImageInput/ImageInput.tsx
index 7802e2932f..34e6ec5600 100644
--- a/packages/circuit-ui/components/ImageInput/ImageInput.tsx
+++ b/packages/circuit-ui/components/ImageInput/ImageInput.tsx
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import { ChangeEvent, Fragment, InputHTMLAttributes, useState } from 'react';
 import { css, jsx } from '@emotion/core';
 
 import Avatar from '../Avatar';
+import Label from '../Label';
 import styled from '../../styles/styled';
 import { uniqueId } from '../../util/id';
 import { focusOutline, hideVisually } from '../../styles/style-mixins';
@@ -28,6 +29,10 @@ export interface ImageInputProps
    * label
    */
   label: string;
+  /**
+   * alt
+   */
+  alt: string;
   /**
    * imageUrl
    */
@@ -40,12 +45,12 @@ const Input = styled.input(
 
     &:focus + label {
       ${focusOutline({ theme })};
-      border-color: ${theme.colors.p500};
+      border-radius: ${theme.borderRadius.tera};
     }
   `,
 );
 
-const Image = styled(Avatar)`
+const StyledAvatar = styled(Avatar)`
   :hover {
     filter: brightness(90%);
     cursor: pointer;
@@ -58,6 +63,7 @@ const Image = styled(Avatar)`
 export const ImageInput = ({
   label,
   imageUrl: initialImageUrl,
+  alt,
   id: customId,
   ...props
 }: ImageInputProps): JSX.Element => {
@@ -74,16 +80,17 @@ export const ImageInput = ({
 
   return (
     <Fragment>
-      <Input id={id} type="file" accept="image/*" onChange={handleChange} />
-      <Image
-        as="label"
-        imageUrl={imageUrl}
-        variant="business"
-        htmlFor={id}
+      <Input
+        id={id}
+        type="file"
+        accept="image/*"
+        onChange={handleChange}
         {...props}
-      >
+      />
+      <Label htmlFor={id}>
         <span css={hideVisually()}>{label}</span>
-      </Image>
+        <StyledAvatar src={imageUrl} variant="business" alt={alt} />
+      </Label>
     </Fragment>
   );
 };