Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
From sneakers to crash test dummies, many everyday designs were developed based on the male body. Karen Korellis Reuther (a Harvard graduate school of design lecturer and former Nike global creative director) explains what gets overlooked when women aren’t represented in the design process, and why designing for women can be both safer and better for business.
In this episode of _Author Talks,_ Reuther discusses her book _Man-Made: How We Designed a World That Leaves Women Out, and How We Can Make It Right._ Drawing on more than four decades in design, she explores the “shrink and pink” approach to women’s products, gender gaps in design and architecture, how ill-fitting equipment creates additional burdens for women, and why leaders should rethink who is represented when products, spaces, and experiences are created.
*In the full interview:*
- Man-Made: The gender gap in industrial design
- How “shrink it and pink it” design leaves women out
- Why women’s sneakers don’t always fit right
- The problem with crash test dummies
- The extra mental costs for women
- Why representation in design matters
- The business case for designing for women
- How leaders can design more inclusively
- The overlooked history of women in design
- Why it’s time to “end average”
_Comments and opinions expressed by interviewees are their own and do not represent or reflect the opinions, policies, or positions of McKinsey & Company or have its endorsement._
From sneakers to crash test dummies, many everyday designs were developed based on the male body. Karen Korellis Reuther (a Harvard graduate school of design lecturer and former Nike global creative director) explains what gets overlooked when women aren’t represented in the design process, and why designing for women can be both safer and better for business.
In this episode of _Author Talks,_ Reuther discusses her book _Man-Made: How We Designed a World That Leaves Women Out, and How We Can Make It Right._ Drawing on more than four decades in design, she explores the “shrink and pink” approach to women’s products, gender gaps in design and architecture, how ill-fitting equipment creates additional burdens for women, and why leaders should rethink who is represented when products, spaces, and experiences are created.
*In the full interview:*
- Man-Made: The gender gap in industrial design
- How “shrink it and pink it” design leaves women out
- Why women’s sneakers don’t always fit right
- The problem with crash test dummies
- The extra mental costs for women
- Why representation in design matters
- The business case for designing for women
- How leaders can design more inclusively
- The overlooked history of women in design
- Why it’s time to “end average”
_Comments and opinions expressed by interviewees are their own and do not represent or reflect the opinions, policies, or positions of McKinsey & Company or have its endorsement._
