The Norwood Scale meme, often personified as the 'Norwood Reaper,' stems from the Hamilton-Norwood scale used by clinicians to classify male pattern baldness. In internet culture, particularly within 'looksmaxxing' communities and imageboards, the 'Reaper' is depicted as an inescapable force that eventually claims every man's hairline regardless of his efforts. The meme usually features individuals frantically checking their temples for 'NW1' or 'NW2' status, often accompanied by a sense of impending doom or self-deprecating humor. It has evolved from a niche hair-loss forum topic into a mainstream social media trope used to joke about aging, genetics, and the universal anxiety of losing one's youth.