Barbie doll head

Belle's attempt to briefly and quietly attend the company Christmas party is undone when the men begin to throw around a Barbie doll head that Belle had been carrying as a Christmas gift to give to her daughter (11-13). The doll itself, plus the unsightly Toys 'R' Us bag Belle carried it in, represent the additional work that Belle must take on as a mother, compared to the mostly responsibility-free attitude shown by the men.

Belle's shoe collection

Belle has a bizarre daily routine with her four-year-old daughter, Brigid, where Brigid picks out a pair of shoes for her mother to wear and Belle, knowing that Brigid's taste in shoes is terrible, hands that pair off to the doorman of her building before putting on a more sensible pair of shoes (41). This routine represents both Belle's repeated surface-level interaction with her own children, plus...