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The goal of our tznius is to preserve the dignity of women, enabling us to look at them as people not as objects. Although the allure of חיצוניות blurs our vision, our aim is to be able to see the פנימיות without the superficial exterior blocking it. Tznius is about giving them identity, not destroying it. Or, if you like, about shifting the focus from body to self.
Here’s a thought I had on Rashi Parshas Lech Lecha: Rashi writes on הנה נא ידעתי כי אשה יפת מראה את that עד עכשיו לא הכיר בה מתוך צניעות שביניהם. What changed now? The Meforshim bring the Midrash that Avrohom saw her reflection in the river. If you examine Rashi, he is not saying that Avrohom never saw her until now; the Gemara writes explicitly that it is assur to marry without looking first. Rashi doesn’t say לא הסתכל בה, he writes לא הכיר בה. Of course Avrohom saw her. But מתוך צניעות שביניהם, when Avrohom looked at her, he saw right past the exterior directly into the פנימיות. Avrohom never focused on חיצוניות.
When faced by a reflection in the river, however, this changed. A reflection is only חיצוניות, without the depth of פנימיות. Suddenly Avrohom was struck by the blinding exterior.
The face is the only part of the body where you can see פנימיות. (No coincidence that it is called פנים). This is the only part of the body which woman do not need to cover up (except for the hands, which is a separate issue), because hiding the פנים is last thing צניעות aims to do.