Finding peace with modesty in Islam

Assalamu alaikum dear brothers and sisters, I’ve been wrestling with something for a few months now and wanted to open up about it. I don’t wear hijab, though my clothes are usually modest. But recently, I’ve started asking myself a lot of questions. I know hijab is about obeying and getting closer to Allah, but I wonder: what’s the deeper reason behind it? Is it mainly to protect women? If yes, protect them from what? Is a woman’s body just naturally a problem for society? I also notice how different cultures react. In some countries, people stress a lot about covering up, while in others, a woman showing skin barely gets a glance. Doesn’t that make you think culture plays a huge role in how we see things? Then the questions pile up. Where in the Qur’an is hijab actually mentioned, and how is it explained? How did women in the Prophet’s time, peace be upon him, understand and live by those verses? And why were the rules of awrah different for those called “ma malakat aymanukum” compared to free Muslim women? Hadith is another puzzle for me. Allah tells us to follow His words and the Prophet’s, peace be upon him, but we all know not every report is reliable. How can we be sure a hadith truly came from him? These are just a few of my never-ending thoughts. I don’t think questioning is bad-honest questions can push us to learn more and actually make our faith stronger. I’m sharing this because I feel really confused. I’d love some kind advice from Muslims who’ve been through this. How did you come to understand and accept modesty? How do you handle doubts without losing your faith? May Allah guide us all.