“Why don’t women stand up straight? [...] If you look like a victim, why are you surprised when people treat you badly?”

This quote demonstrates Nisha’s initial opinion of Sam’s outward appearance the first time she sees Sam walk past her at the gym and betrays her unfair bias against women who do not approach the world in the cocksure, arrogant way that she herself chooses to. By including this insight into Nisha’s inner perceptions during the first time Nisha and Sam cross paths, Moyes highlights Nisha’s initial obsession with appearances. Particularly because the woman she judges is Sam, this quote lays a foundation for the women’s relationship that will change drastically over the course of the novel.

“Am I…letting down the sisterhood? [...] By—you know—using sex as a weapon? They are basically sex, these shoes, right?”

Sam asks this question of her coworkers when they discuss how she has used the Louboutins to influence clients in her meetings. Even though she has done a great job representing her company and securing successful contracts, because Sam rarely focuses on herself, her major concern is with how her actions might be affecting others. While the symbol of the shoes bolsters her confidence, the Louboutins have yet to cure Sam’s self-doubt thus far in the story.