Mercer Island Parent Edge will show a film, “Miss Representation,” at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 20, at the Mercer Island High School Performing Arts Center.

In a society where media is the most persuasive force shaping cultural norms, the collective message that young women and men overwhelmingly receive is that a woman’s value and power lie in her youth, beauty and sexuality, and not in her capacity as a leader.

While women have made great strides in leadership over the past few decades, the United States is still 90th in the world for women in national legislatures, women hold only 3 percent of influence positions in mainstream media, and 65 percent of women and girls have eating behavior disorders. The film challenges the media’s “limited or disparaging portrayals” of women and girls.