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.
Reuther also shares lessons from her own career including: “There is no average… one size never fits all.”
*Chapters:*
00:00 – Intro
00:34 – Man-Made: The gender gap in industrial design
02:02 – How “shrink it and pink it” design leaves women out
03:07 – Why women’s sneakers don’t always fit right
05:06 – The problem with crash test dummies
07:00 – The extra mental costs for women
09:20 – Why representation in design matters
10:49 – The business case for designing for women
12:05 – How leaders can design more inclusively
13:34 – The overlooked history of women in design
15:20 – 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.
Read the article: mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-on-books/author-talks-one-size-does-not-fit-all
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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.
Reuther also shares lessons from her own career including: “There is no average… one size never fits all.”
*Chapters:*
00:00 – Intro
00:34 – Man-Made: The gender gap in industrial design
02:02 – How “shrink it and pink it” design leaves women out
03:07 – Why women’s sneakers don’t always fit right
05:06 – The problem with crash test dummies
07:00 – The extra mental costs for women
09:20 – Why representation in design matters
10:49 – The business case for designing for women
12:05 – How leaders can design more inclusively
13:34 – The overlooked history of women in design
15:20 – 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.
Read the article: mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-on-books/author-talks-one-size-does-not-fit-all
Subscribe to our channel: mck.co/YouTube
Subscribe to our newsletters: mck.co/Subscribe
*Find us on:*
Facebook: mck.co/Facebook
Twitter: mck.co/Twitter
LinkedIn: mck.co/LinkedIn
Instagram: mck.co/Instagram
