Stassi Schroeder, 38, spoke exclusively to the outlet Radio on Tuesday morning about her experience walking the runway, saying “The first year was really amazing” but “The second year, the trolls got to me.”
After the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit account posted Schroeder’s runway appearance, for which she wore an orange triangle bikini, on Instagram in June, hundreds of comments criticized her figure.
According to Schroeder, online haters called out her “rectangle” body, likening her physique to that of SpongeBob Squarepants.
“‘Rectangle,’ ‘SpongeBob SquarePants body,'” Schroeder quoted some of the commenters.
Many detractors felt the House of Stassi star’s swimsuit was “unflattering” and did “not fit her body type.”
Viewers ruthlessly mocked her for deviating from the traditional catwalk posture and stepping on stage with her hips swaying.
“Haters compared her walk to an “ostrich,” claiming her physique was like SpongeBob SquarePants.
“Sports Illustrated or Sports Illustrated Pelvis Edition?” one critic said about her walk.
Another person commented, “Someone sabotaged her bathing suit fit.” The comment racked up over 4,500 likes.
Despite her discomfort with the backlash,
Schroeder said about the runway show, “I really love doing it. I’m so proud of it.”
“I love doing it, I feel so f–king empowered, the girls are so nice,” she told co-hosts Danny Murphy and Evan Real. “The atmosphere, the energy, it’s such a girl power vibe and everyone’s there just lifting each other up,” she added.
The online mockery weighed heavily on her nonetheless.
Schroeder said “I’m like, do I want to put myself through that again?” although she confessed to agreeing with the commenters: “I am rectangle shaped.”
She strutted down the catwalk again in May, joining female powerhouses like Alix Earle, Tiffany Haddish and Bethenny Frankel for Miami Swim Week.
While Schroeder said her critics were “not wrong,” she questioned whether she wants to put herself through that again by modeling in the magazine’s annual fashion show for a third year in a row.
After more than a decade in the public eye, Schroeder said she has become “really good” at handling criticism. Although the body comparisons affected her, she insisted there are now only “few things” that can truly get under her skin.
“If you believe all of the positive stuff you read, that means you have to believe all the negative stuff you read,” she said. “So, I just don’t believe anything.”
She also reflected on the broader pattern of public opinion, saying “One minute people love you, the next they hate you.”
Despite the backlash,
Schroeder also received positive feedback, with many commenters amazed by her physique after giving birth twice.
She shares her two children, Hartford, 5, and Messer, 2, with her husband, Beau Clark, 46.
Stassi Schroeder Clark walked the runway at the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show on May 30, in Miami Beach, Florida.
She made her runway debut at the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit show in 2025.
She reportedly went on a “massive diet” to achieve her ultra-toned look for the show, wearing a bright orange bikini that flaunted the toned physique she worked so hard for.
When her appearance went live on the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Instagram account in June, the online commentary turned from celebratory to cruel within hours.
Schroeder also received positive feedback, with many commenters amazed by her physique after giving birth twice.
That experience appears to be the main reason she has not completely ruled out returning, even though the negative feedback made her hesitant to put herself through the public scrutiny again.