In this important passage, Marian explicitly positions gender roles (“perfume”-like femininity) as something purchased and consumed (“advertisements”). Clara’s lifestyle choices seem almost out of her control, prescribed by advertisements and societal expectations rather than her own thoughts and desires. And worse still, Marian’s sense that Clara’s body is “going beyond her” suggests that even one’s own flesh-and-blood self can be a source of betrayal, as the conversations Clara once treasured are replaced by her all-consuming experience of parenthood.