Users first exploded with excitement after Australian journalist Alex Bruce-Smith first published a compilation of Petrenko and her impressive 'do, the tweet garnering over 57,000 likes and generating over 22,000 comments.
The tweet prompted others to spread awareness of the Russian politician, with users quipping that her hair was "the greatest thing [they'd] discovered this week," saying they wished their countries' senators were so cool, and calling Petrenko "cinematic."
Others struggled to think what Petrenko's hairstyle reminded them of, recalling a stream of characters from movies and television shows, or hairstyles of antiquity.
In her home country of Russia, Petrenko hasn't been very keen on sharing the name of her extravagant hairstyle, or the secret behind it. In a rare comment on the subject for Moscow Radio, she said that she was tired of being asked the same questions again and again. "I simply have curly hair, and hold it up with a few pins. That's all!"
On a more serious note, a few users, perhaps thinking that Petrenko was being made fun of, recalled that the politician has a record of personal bravery as an impromptu hostage negotiator.
Serving as a senator since 2001, Petrenko has focused her legislative agenda on social policy, health care and youth issues.