of the language Swift uses makes all these things sound disgusting, the reader easily recognizes that they are natural to all human beings. Swift does this to illustrate how unrealistic the ideal is and how foolish it is that society is disgusted by things that are natural. Satire works by exaggerating reality and ridiculing vices in order to shock the reader into recognizing the truth and human folly. Therefore, Swift's exaggerations of women's ugliness and disgustingness are intended to shock the reader into recognizing that women are human.
Swift reproaches women for vainly aspiring to an impossible and unrealistic ideal. He deconstructs women's attempts to conform to this ideal in order to emphasize the fact that the ideal is merely a construction. Swift's deconstruction of the ideal not only demonstrates that women are human, it illustrates that women are forced to concentrate too much on frivolous notions of beauty. Swift expresses disgust with anything involved with trying to look more acceptable or attractive. In "A Lady's Dressing Room," when Strephon looks around Celia's room, it is her brushes, combs, cloths, clothing, washes, paints, and ointments that he first finds disgusting (11-58). Swift portrays the process of artificial beautifying as filthy in order to emphasize that it is an arrogant, foolish, and unnatural process. Celia is called "haughty" for taking so long to make herself appear beautiful: "Five Hours, (and who can do it less in?) / By haughty Celia spent in dressing" (1-2). Swift's descriptions of Celia once she has finished beautifying herself makes her sound like an impalpable object rather than an actual person: "The goddess from her chamber issues, / Arrayed in lace, brocades and tissues" (3-4). Swift illustrates how artificial beauty is by suggesting that Celia is just a collection of fabrics and decorations. Similarly, in "A Beautiful Young Nymph Going to Bed," Corinna's body is just a collection of materials. Only when she is alone is she able to remove all her false appendages, including artificial hair (10), crystal eye (11), mouse hyde eyebrows (13), and false teeth (17). It is only once she removes all the things that make her more acceptable that Swift gives the reader a glimpse of her humanity, suggesting that these artificial parts make her less human, rather than more beautiful.
Swift accuses women and men who judge them for caring too much about appearances and too little about intelligence. It is not that Swift sees
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