I think the best response (besides telling someone who you trust-teacher, dean, TA) is to do the 4 second pause (the brain interprets that as rejection/social threat) or my fave: "what a weird thing to say out loud" or simply "ew" and walking away after letting their comment flop in the silence. Also, questioning a comment/ "joke" so much that it ...... reply
I know the simple answer would be hair clips/barrette or finger waves or slicked back with gel/foam but I think you need to dive deeper on why you can't even imagine leaving the house (at the expense of your exams) because of a bad hair cut. If you're a person (especially a woman identifying) of color, I completely understand the significance we pl...... reply