Hair is normally removed for social and sexual reasons related to the social role of hair in human society. Many cultures have an aesthetic "ideal" amount of hair for males and females. People whose hair violates such standards may experience real or perceived problems with social acceptance.

Many men in Western cultures shave their facial hair, so only a minority of men have a beard, even though fast-growing facial hair must be shaved daily to achieve a clean-shaven or hairless look. Some men shave because they cannot grow a "full" beard (generally defined as an even density from cheeks to neck), because beard color is different from scalp hair color, or because it grows in many directions, making a groomed look difficult. Some men shave because their beards are very coarse, causing itchiness and irritation. Some men grow a beard from time to time to change their appearance.

In many cultures, particularly North American and Western European, it became increasingly common during the 20th century [1] for women to remove some or all of their body hair, due to societal values that consider it unattractive and/or not feminine (see gender role), or as a matter of practicing good hygiene. Women may also remove some or all of their pubic hair for aesthetic or sexual reasons. Porn stars are well known for this practice. Men may also practice this, but not as commonly. In a sexual context, pubic hair removal is done to increase visual exposure of the genitalia and/or facilitate access to the genital area by removing the barrier of hair.

Some women in Western cultures choose not to remove hair from their bodies as an act of defiance against what they believe to be an oppressive ritual.

Some men shave their heads, either as a fashion statement, to cover up male pattern baldness, or to attain enhanced cooling of the skull (particularly for people suffering from hyperhidrosis). A much smaller number of women also shave their heads as fashion or political statements. In art paintings or carvings from ancient times, one can often see women portrayed with no pubic hair: pubic hair was linked to sexual acts and desires in the general mindset, and thus it was deemed improper and impure in a public painting. This may have influenced aesthetic views regarding the matter as well

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