Objectified short-form video use and relationship satisfaction among Chinese women: the moderating role of body appreciation

To examine associations between three forms of objectified media use commonly found on Chinese short-form video platforms and women’s relationship satisfaction, as well as the moderating role of body appreciation, a survey was conducted among 367 women in romantic relationships. The results showed that: (1) Body appreciation significantly moderated the association between objectified female video exposure and relationship satisfaction. Among women with high levels of body appreciation, the positive association between objectified female video exposure and relationship satisfaction approached significance. (2) Objectified male video exposure was positively associated with relationship satisfaction among women with high levels of body appreciation and negatively associated with relationship satisfaction among women with low levels of body appreciation. (3) Posting objectified videos was positively associated with relationship satisfaction only among women with high body appreciation. These findings highlight the role of body appreciation in shaping the associations between objectified media use and women’s intimate relationship quality.