Thoughts on Hijab and Its True Purpose

As-salaam alaykum everyone :) I've been thinking about why so many people, both brothers and sisters, talk about hijab as if it's something we wear for men instead of because Allah (swt) ordered it. So often I hear things like “wear hijab so men don't stare” or “wear hijab so you don't make men have impure thoughts.” Like the cloth I'm wearing in the heat exists to make men more comfortable, rather than being an act of obedience and protection from Allah. It also bothers me how modesty for women is sometimes reduced to being “for their husband,” as if we aren't our own people and instead exist for some hypothetical man we haven't even met. We don't cover our hair just so a future husband might see it - we do it because Allah told us to. Plain and simple. This is partly why many non-Muslims view the hijab as oppressive: when Muslims (men and women alike) describe it as something that prevents men from having “impure” thoughts, they miss the bigger picture - it's meant so women are not simplified to their bodies or objectified. It upsets me that something so meaningful and beautiful can be twisted from an act of worship into something framed around pleasing men. It feels like putting men’s inability to lower their gaze above obeying Allah. Thanks for reading - would love to hear your thoughts.