I honestly don’t believe that someone who wears socks is keeping a higher madreiga of tznius than me. My rav says that there is no halachic issue regarding a naked ankle and therefore I am following halacha. Someone choosing to do a more stringent approach is just that – more stringent, not more halachically sound.
I believe someone who is more strict regarding lashon hara, ahava, bikur cholim etc are on a higher madreiga. Bein adam lachavero mitzvos are much harder to fulfill all the time. Someone who can master doing things like that, with a smile and helping in a way that actually helps the other person (not just appears to help), definitely is a better person than I am. I have not mastered that yet.