Swift uses this poem to satirize both women's vain attempts to match an ideal image and men's expectation that the illusion be real.
Thomas Sheridan called him "a man whose original genius and uncommon talents have raised him, in the general estimation, above all other writers of the age".
He finds sweaty smocks, dirt-filled combs, greasy facecloths, grimy towels, snot-encrusted handkerchiefs, jars of spit, cosmetics derived from distilled puppies,[5] pimple medication, stockings smelling of dirty toes and a mucky, rancid clothes chest.
Swift ends the poem by suggesting that if young men only ignore the stench and accept the painted illusion, they can enjoy the "charms of womanhood".
This poem has also been seen as a critique of the lengths to which women go in order to meet the ideal image of the female body and men's expectation that the illusion be real.
In addition, Swift bitterly satirizes and derides in disgusting detail the human body and its functions, which he viewed as repulsive.
[6] Swift's offensive, and improper content, as well as the harsh manner in which he presented it, led him to have a less than favorable reputation amongst his compatriots, especially women.