Stassi Schroeder Admits Confidence Took a Hit After Walking Sports Illustrated Runway

The "House of Stassi" star has now walked the Sports Illustrated runway two years running, but not every trip down the catwalk has felt like a win. This time, cruel comparisons to a cartoon sponge left her wondering if a third appearance is worth the trouble.

Stassi Schroeder is getting candid about the backlash she faced after modeling in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show earlier this year. The reality television personality revealed that internet trolls likened her physique to that of SpongeBob SquarePants.

Back in May, Schroeder joined a lineup of high-profile women, including Alix Earle, Tiffany Haddish, and Bethenny Frankel, for Miami Swim Week.

She walked the runway in a burnt-orange bikini featuring a triangle top and a thin, high-cut bottom, with the fabric showing a subtle ribbed texture. She rounded out the ensemble with a gold pendant necklace, hoop earrings, and two gold cuff bracelets.

Her hair fell in loose, wavy layers past her shoulders, while her makeup leaned into a bronzed, sun-kissed finish with defined eyes and a glossy lip.

This wasn't Schroeder's first trip down the Sports Illustrated runway. Last year, she turned heads in a snakeskin-print bikini, its halter-style top and tie-side bottoms rendered in gray and black animal print.

She accessorized with stacked rings and small hoop earrings, wearing her long hair down and parted in the middle, finished off with a bronzed, glowing makeup look.

In yet another look, Schroeder modeled a black-and-white polka dot bikini featuring an underwire top with thin straps and a color-blocked bottom, mixing white polka dots on black and black polka dots on white in an asymmetric design.

"The first year was really amazing," she told co-hosts Danny Murphy and Evan Real on Page Six Radio. "The second year, the trolls got to me." According to Schroeder, online critics zeroed in on her "rectangle" body, comparing her shape to SpongeBob SquarePants.

While Schroeder admitted her detractors were "not wrong," she said the criticism made her question whether she wants to put herself through it again by modeling in the magazine's annual fashion show for a third consecutive year.

Despite feeling "just a little insecure" in the wake of the negative comments, Schroeder said she still cherished the experience overall.

"I love doing it, I feel so [expletive] empowered, the girls are so nice," she gushed. "The atmosphere, the energy, it's such a girl power vibe and everyone's there just lifting each other up. So, I really love doing it."

Public scrutiny is nothing new for Schroeder. In 2020, following eight seasons on Bravo's "Vanderpump Rules," she and longtime co-star Kristen Doute were dropped from the show after past racist behavior toward a former castmate came to light.

Since then, Schroeder has worked to reshape her public image. She married Beau Clark, 46, and the couple welcomed two children, Hartford, 5, and Messer, 2.

She also became a New York Times bestselling author with her books "Next Level Basic" and "Off with My Head," and she recently made a triumphant comeback to reality TV with Hulu's "House of Stassi."

As for the online hate, Schroeder said she's become "really good" at brushing it off, adding that there are "few things" that get under her skin these days.

"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."