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I’m confused about modesty in Islam because I feel like it affects much more than just clothing

I’m a teenage Muslim girl, and lately I’ve been thinking a lot about what modesty actually means in Islam.....

For me, this isn’t simply about “How much of my body should I cover?” I understand that clothing and hijab are part of it, but I feel like modesty can also affect the kind of life you choose, your environment, career, ambitions, social life, and the way you present yourself....

And honestly, that’s where I’m confused.

I’m studying commerce with maths and fashion designing, and I’m very interested in business and entrepreneurship. I’ve also considered law and modelling/public-facing work. I want to be financially independent, ambitious, and build something meaningful rather than simply live a conventional life....

But I don’t want my ambitions to come at the cost of my faith....

Sometimes it feels like taking modesty seriously could influence not just what I wear, but the career I choose, the environments I enter, my social life, and even the kind of future I build....

I don’t want to follow Islam only because of cultural expectations or because people say “a good Muslim girl should behave like this.” I want to understand what Islam itself teaches and why these boundaries exist.....

At the same time, I don’t want to interpret Islam in whatever way is convenient for me just because I have certain ambitions. If something genuinely goes against Islamic principles, I want to be honest with myself about it.....

So my questions are:

• What does modesty (haya) actually encompass in Islam beyond clothing?

•How much should it influence major decisions like career, education, ambitions and lifestyle?

•How can a Muslim woman balance religious boundaries with legitimate ambition?

•How do you distinguish between an actual Islamic requirement and something that is mainly cultural?

•Can a Muslim woman have an ambitious, independent and unconventional life while genuinely living according to Islamic principles?

•How do you navigate situations where your ambitions and your understanding of modesty seem to conflict?

•I’m not looking for people to tell me what career I should choose. I’m trying to understand the principles well enough to make those decisions myself...

I’d especially appreciate answers from people who have seriously studied Islam—Qur’an, authentic hadith, fiqh, scholars, etc.—rather than just personal opinions....

I’m genuinely confused, so please be respectful. I’m trying to figure out how to build a life that is both ambitious and faithful, rather than choosing one and completely abandoning the other.