diff --git a/WordPress/Classes/Utility/Media/AsyncImageView.swift b/WordPress/Classes/Utility/Media/AsyncImageView.swift
index 645fb5dd49c0..acc010f1679e 100644
--- a/WordPress/Classes/Utility/Media/AsyncImageView.swift
+++ b/WordPress/Classes/Utility/Media/AsyncImageView.swift
@@ -5,34 +5,55 @@ import Gifu
 /// (see ``AnimatedImage``).
 @MainActor
 final class AsyncImageView: UIView {
-    let imageView = GIFImageView()
-
+    private let imageView = GIFImageView()
     private var errorView: UIImageView?
     private var spinner: UIActivityIndicatorView?
     private let controller = ImageViewController()
 
     enum LoadingStyle {
+        /// Shows a secondary background color during the download.
         case background
+        /// Shows a spinner during the download.
         case spinner
     }
 
-    var isErrorViewEnabled = true
-    var loadingStyle = LoadingStyle.background
+    struct Configuration {
+        /// Image tint color.
+        var tintColor: UIColor?
+
+        /// Image view content mode.
+        var contentMode: UIView.ContentMode?
+
+        /// Enabled by default and shows an error icon on failures.
+        var isErrorViewEnabled = true
+
+        /// By default, `background`.
+        var loadingStyle = LoadingStyle.background
+    }
+
+    var configuration = Configuration() {
+        didSet { didUpdateConfiguration(configuration) }
+    }
 
+    /// The currently displayed image. If the image is animated, returns an
+    /// instance of ``AnimatedImage``.
     var image: UIImage? {
-        get { imageView.image }
-        set { imageView.image = newValue }
+        didSet {
+            if let image {
+                imageView.configure(image: image)
+            } else {
+                imageView.prepareForReuse()
+            }
+        }
     }
 
     override init(frame: CGRect) {
         super.init(frame: frame)
-
         setupView()
     }
 
     required init?(coder: NSCoder) {
         super.init(coder: coder)
-
         setupView()
     }
 
@@ -50,14 +71,10 @@ final class AsyncImageView: UIView {
         backgroundColor = .secondarySystemBackground
     }
 
+    /// Removes the current image and stops the outstanding downloads.
     func prepareForReuse() {
         controller.prepareForReuse()
-
-        if imageView.isAnimatingGIF {
-            imageView.prepareForReuse()
-        } else {
-            imageView.image = nil
-        }
+        image = nil
     }
 
     /// - parameter size: Target image size in pixels.
@@ -77,23 +94,32 @@ final class AsyncImageView: UIView {
 
         switch state {
         case .loading:
-            switch loadingStyle {
+            switch configuration.loadingStyle {
             case .background:
                 backgroundColor = .secondarySystemBackground
             case .spinner:
                 makeSpinner().startAnimating()
             }
         case .success(let image):
-            imageView.configure(image: image)
+            self.image = image
             imageView.isHidden = false
             backgroundColor = .clear
         case .failure:
-            if isErrorViewEnabled {
+            if configuration.isErrorViewEnabled {
                 makeErrorView().isHidden = false
             }
         }
     }
 
+    private func didUpdateConfiguration(_ configuration: Configuration) {
+        if let tintColor = configuration.tintColor {
+            imageView.tintColor = tintColor
+        }
+        if let contentMode = configuration.contentMode {
+            imageView.contentMode = contentMode
+        }
+    }
+
     private func makeSpinner() -> UIActivityIndicatorView {
         if let spinner {
             return spinner
@@ -130,4 +156,12 @@ extension GIFImageView {
             self.image = image
         }
     }
+
+    private func prepareForReuse() {
+        if isAnimatingGIF {
+            prepareForReuse()
+        } else {
+            image = nil
+        }
+    }
 }
diff --git a/WordPress/Classes/ViewRelated/Reader/Views/ReaderAvatarView.swift b/WordPress/Classes/ViewRelated/Reader/Views/ReaderAvatarView.swift
index 0c468580ddc9..7c76771caa4e 100644
--- a/WordPress/Classes/ViewRelated/Reader/Views/ReaderAvatarView.swift
+++ b/WordPress/Classes/ViewRelated/Reader/Views/ReaderAvatarView.swift
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ final class ReaderAvatarView: UIView {
         layer.borderWidth = 0.5
         layer.borderColor = UIColor.opaqueSeparator.withAlphaComponent(0.5).cgColor
 
-        asyncImageView.isErrorViewEnabled = false
+        asyncImageView.configuration.isErrorViewEnabled = false
 
         addSubview(asyncImageView)
     }
@@ -33,13 +33,13 @@ final class ReaderAvatarView: UIView {
     }
 
     func setStaticIcon(_ image: UIImage?, tintColor: UIColor) {
-        asyncImageView.imageView.tintColor = .secondaryLabel
-        asyncImageView.imageView.contentMode = .center
-        asyncImageView.imageView.image = image
+        asyncImageView.configuration.tintColor = .secondaryLabel
+        asyncImageView.configuration.contentMode = .center
+        asyncImageView.image = image
     }
 
     func setPlaceholder(_ image: UIImage?) {
-        asyncImageView.imageView.image = image
+        asyncImageView.image = image
     }
 
     func setImage(with imageURL: URL, size: CGSize? = nil) {