24. The system of claim 21 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to identify a subset of less than all of the multiple avatars based on a comparison between the inferred user profile information and the accessed attributes for multiple avatars by comparing an interest in the inferred user profile information to the accessed attributes for multiple avatars.
21. A communications system for associating user identities with avatars, the system comprising: a storage device storing attribute information for multiple avatars and wallpapers supported by the communications system; and one or more processors configured to: detect a selection by a user, the selection being at least one of an avatar selection and a wallpaper selection for use in an instant messaging environment, wherein the selected avatar or wallpaper comprise one or more attributes; infer one or more user profile attributes for the user based on the detected user selection, wherein the inferred user profile attributes are not identical to the one or more attributes of the selected avatar or wallpaper; store, in the storage device, the inferred user profile attributes in a user profile of the user, wherein the user profile is viewable by one or more other users within the instant messaging environment; access, from the storage device, attributes for multiple avatars that are potential candidates for selection by the user to represent the user in a communications session; identify a subset of less than all of the multiple avatars based on a comparison between the inferred user profile attributes located in the stored user profile and the accessed avatar attributes; and present the identified subset of avatars for selection by the user.