Michigan Congressman Shri Thanedar has been in the news a lot recently. Mostly for his attempted impeachments against President Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. Shri loves the limelight, but every time he hits the national news cycle, the internet only has one question.
Why on earth does he look like that?
Here’s some brief background on Shri, for those unaware. Born in the Indian state of Karnataka in 1955, Shri emigrated to the U.S. in 1979. He earned a PhD in chemistry, became a citizen in 1988, and started a variety of biotech businesses.
Biotech is a notoriously volatile field, and Shri has done well for himself. Despite several ups and downs, his net worth is now estimated around $40 million.
One of his firms, Azopharma, once valued at over $132 million, went out of business following the 2008 financial crisis. Laboratory animals, including 100 beagles and monkeys, were abruptly left on site at one of the firm’s research labs. Employees had to climb fences to get in and take care of them until animal welfare organizations stepped in.
Shri mounted a failed gubernatorial run in 2018, spending over $10 million of his own money on the campaign. He’s since spent tens of millions of dollars on more campaigns, winning a seat in the state legislature in 2020, and election to the House of Representatives in 2022 and 2024.
He’s 70 years old, but maintains the appearance of a strange young boy through a variety of cosmetic enhancements and plastic surgeries. Given his history in biotech and his personal wealth, Shri likely has access to the cutting-edge of aesthetic enhancements.
For reference, here’s a photo of former Michigan State Representative Wendell Byrd, the normal looking 70-something year old that Shri replaced in the state legislature.
Shri hasn’t gone on record about how he maintains his style, but we can certainly speculate. Here’s a quick rundown of the likely products, procedures, and techniques Shri uses to maintain his signature appearance.
The Hair
Shri has the voluminous locks of a teenage athlete, despite his advanced age. How does he do it? There are a few theories.
The first, and most obvious—a wig. No one wears toupees anymore, but Shri might be bringing it back. Given how his hair has changed throughout his political career, from the tightly coiffed black curls of his gubernatorial campaign to the wind swept popstar-style straight brown hair of today, Shri could be simply swapping out hairpieces.
Another possibility, and this is generous, would be a hair transplant procedure. A highly advanced one to give him such thick hair. Expertly styled and dyed into the light brown shade he currently rocks.
Could it be his natural hair? If it is, Shri must have access to top-secret biotech unavailable to the general public. Some sort of powerful hair serum that gives him this majestic mane. Along with the world’s most talented stylist.
Hair gel is definitely in the mix now too. Shri’s latest congressional portrait shows him back with dark black hair, shiny and slicked over to the side with gel.
Whatever it is, Shri’s hair definitely isn’t natty.
The Eyebrows
We need to talk about Shri’s eyebrows. Or, the lack thereof.
Shri doesn’t have natural eyebrows. Perhaps he shaves them off. Maybe the strip-mall salon microblading was too aggressive one time, and he just liked the look. Maybe he has alopecia and doesn’t talk about it?
Whatever the reason, Shri’s eyebrows are clearly painted on with eyeshadow or some other sort of makeup. We’ll give him this much: At least he paints them on thickly now. He used to paint them on way lighter and thinner, but clearly he’s learned some new tricks with age.
The Skin
Shri’s skin has the appearance of brown rubber. He looks like a wax figurine of himself. It’s not just age, or his racial descent. More than likely, it’s a combination of bad makeup and aggressive skin treatments.
Too much laser resurfacing could be a possibility. Aggressively ablating the dermal layer over and over for a more youthful appearance.
Cosmetic procedures most definitely contribute. Botox injections, making his skin look unnaturally taut. Dermal fillers, hyaluronic acid injections, plumping up his cheeks.
Undoubtedly Shri has a top-level skincare routine too. Retinol, various creams, moisturizers and toners.
The Face
Along with his skin procedures, Shri’s famous uncanny valley-esque appearance likely results from a few plastic surgeries as well.
Blepharoplasty, for one. Surgery to remove fat and excess folds around his eyelids. This gives him his characteristic eyes-always-open appearance.
A facelift or two, almost certain for a man of his appearance, age and means. Along with botox, this is what makes his face look so tight.
His nose looks normal enough, maybe he left that alone. Shri’s good looks aren’t all fake, ladies and gentlemen. Some of it is just his natural appeal.
Why Does He Do All of That?
To understand that, we need to do a little psychoanalysis.
This is a man who, as a matter of public record, has spent a small fortune of his own money running for public office. An office which he uses, repeatedly, to even go against his own party in launching doomed impeachment proceedings.
This is a man who loves headlines and attention, clearly. Vanity is one word for it. Peter Pan syndrome is another, the quest to maintain an eternally youthful visage despite abundant evidence to the contrary.
Shri is clearly dedicated to looksmaxxing at a level that would make Clavicular blush. We can’t say he’s good at it because his absurd appearance causes controversy every time he makes the news.
Shri’s aware of this, of course. About his critics, Shri said, “They talk about my hair, they talk about my appearance, they talk about my age…” He pins it all on political opposition or racial animus, as if his appearance seems normal and any criticism is undeserved.
Here’s the thing though, Shri. Appearances matter. The way you look, dress, and style yourself matters. It says something about you as a person, about your lifestyle, qualities, and values.
For political candidates, for those who wish to represent us, their appearance signals the things they hold dear. As such, it’s completely within bounds for critique. Especially when the whole internet takes one look at this guy and says, “Why on earth does he look like that?”
It’s a reasonable question, one that gets to the heart of the values this Congressman claims to represent. Shri looks absurd and acts absurdly too. Even his own party is learning that by now.
Bobby Mars is art director of Michigan Enjoyer. Follow him on X @bobby_on_mars.
