You know I haven’t put on one ounce in ten years, Stella? I weigh what I weighed the summer you left Belle Reve. The summer Dad died and you left us.
– Tennessee Williams
A Streetcar Named Desire, Scene 1. After telling Stella that she had put on weight, Blanche boasts about her own slim figure. Throughout the play Blanche’s physical appearance remains very important to her, she lies to conceal her true age and constantly worries about growing old.