If you are interested in having a profile picture it’s not as hoop-jumpy as the rest of the photo uploads. 
You can upload one from your Preferences/Account page. There are currently no restrictions on Trust Level or moderator approval, etc so you can just upload one straight away. 
There are still some restrictions on what’s allowed, but they’re pretty much the same as the old site (apart from the ‘no nipples across the board’ new rule).