“Have you ever wondered why Alice was suddenly wearing full armor and a sword in the Tim Burton live action adaptation? Or why Snow White was tasked with leading an army in Snow White and the Huntsman?” I attended this enlightening talk by Drs. Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman of The Carterhaugh School, sponsored by the Cambridge Network for Fairy Tale Studies. Cleto and Warman explored the trend of ‘add a sword’ feminism, “the phenomenon in which traditionally feminine heroines are equipped with swords and recast as military leaders in fairy-tale adaptations. What does this trend have to say about gender? About the composition of heroism? What are the benefits and costs of this trend in storytelling, and what other possibilities are out there?⁠”