Collecting GI Joe and He-Man figures helped me reclaim a lost sense of identity, heal childhood wounds, confront masculinity, and rebuild the boy I once was — and the man I’m still becoming.

A personal essay exploring fatherlessness, gender norms, and queer identity—unpacking what it means to be “man enough” in a world that punishes softness and fetishizes masculinity.

Much like ceremonial magic, where ritual tools such as swords embody the practitioner’s control over the mind and spirit, He-Man’s sword does more than grant him physical power — it bestows wisdom and responsibility.

How 1980s icons like He-Man and G.I. Joe shaped hypermasculine ideals for boys—and how queer kids navigated shame, fantasy, and survival under the shadow of these powerful myths.