Your honest opinion of these people...
 

　　　

What do they have in common?
If you know about them, what do you really think of them?

They can do what they like; it's a free world. I wouldn't date them because I don't go for guys....

When you see them on TV, which has honestly got to be multiple times a day if you watch TV for more than 5 minutes a day, do you feel kind of like they're being ridiculed more so than accepted?

I personally don't care, but I'm really just more curious from a different cultural perspective as to why it's supposed to be so comical in Japanese culture. Like the heavy one (can't think of the name) is always on comedy TV shows, and was recently ran on a SoftBank ad dressed up in a school uniform.

If you go into Donki, along with the usual costumes, you'll find costumes made for men that are like school girl outfits that come with wigs and stuff. It's supposed to be funny, but I don't get it. Not saying my humor is better, but I can't see the funniness.

I actually had the chance to meet Haruna Ai at a fashion show, and she was really cool.

Perhaps there's a significant difference in the level of homophobia among Japanese men and parading as a chick is just accepted more easily, enough so that it can be funny for a guy to show how easily he can be seen as a chick, as opposed to being seen as something shameful

I haven't seen Japanese TV all that much, but I doubt they'd be on TV if they knew they were being ridiculed, unless they like it that way or it pays well.

Possibly, but I really don't know. Like, if I were going to go to a party or something, I wouldn't walk into a store and out of all of the outfits, pick up the schoolgirl one. And at least within my circle of friends, no one is homophobic, but they'd all still just kind of be like "Dude, why are you dressed like a girl?" I can't imagine the life of the party being the guy who shows up dressed like a chick. But I don't know.

As far as seeing it on Japanese TV, I guess if that's what Japanese people find funny then that's okay. Unfortunately this comedy falls into the "beating a dead horse" category for me. Even if I found crossdressing shenanigans funny in the first place, it would have gotten old by now simply because of how much they show it on TV, like eating food and such.

I am almost positive that when they were first introduced to TV it was certainly for the shock factor.
Why they're still everywhere all the time is a bit of a mystery to me.
Then again I can say that about a lot of people on Japanese tv, the "Talents" who aren't particularly talented lol

I'd dress as a woman for a few months if it paid as well as I imagine it does, so that I wouldn't have to work for a few years after lol, I might have to take 4 showers every night but I'd totally do it!

I've wondered if it was meant to fall under the social tolerance of liberal values which are being adopted by the media in Japan, but then it just feels to me like it's doing more of a disservice to open sexuality than anything...

What I mean is,
If I were gay, seeing this on tv wouldn't make me in any way feel safer or more comfortable coming out of the closet...

"Talents" on Japanese TV are there because there is something they have about themselves that is unique. If they were on TV only to be ridiculed I would be very disturbed, but EVERYONE on TV is ridiculed save a precious few, so I don't think these people are being singled out. I am sure they are being paid and would rather be on TV than not.