Stassi Schroeder Felt ‘Empowered’ After Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Show Despite Brutal Critiques of Her Appearance

Stassi Schroeder recently walked in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show for the second year in a row. The reality star wore an orange bikini on the runway. While she said she loved the experience the first year, the second year wasn’t as pleasant. People on social media were highly critical of her appearance in the show. Still, she said that she found the experience empowering.

Stassi Schroeder spoke about appearing in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit show

Schroeder joined several famous women on the runway at the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show. She was a part of the show for the first time in 2025. She said her experience in the first year was better.

“The first year was really amazing,” she told Page Six Radio. “The second year, the trolls got to me.”

She explained that people criticized her for having a rectangular body type, comparing her to SpongeBob SquarePants. While she admitted to feeling “a little insecure” after seeing these comments, she still enjoyed her time.

“I love doing it, I feel so f***ing empowered, the girls are so nice,” she said. “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.”

Stassi Schroeder went on an extreme diet before the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit show

In preparation for the runway show, Schroeder severely limited her caloric intake. 

“Stassi really wanted to look incredible for the show so went on a massive diet,” a source told The Daily Mail.

She reportedly made major cuts to the groups of foods she would eat. She also limited the hours during which she would eat.

“She skipped breakfast, had only a salad for lunch and then did not touch a carb after 5 pm, so she was having only about 600 calories a day,” the source explained.

It wasn’t easy for her to stay on a diet this restrictive.

“The weight just melted off her body, but that kind of diet is very hard to do because the cravings are insane,” the source said. “It’s not easy for her to diet that hardcore, but the results are amazing and she felt great about herself.”

She said that she tries to ignore online conversations about herself

Schroeder has been in the public eye for years. After getting her start on Vanderpump Rules, she started a podcast and recently launched a new show, House of Stassi. In this time, she said she has learned to ignore all comments about her.

“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 understands that public perception changes rapidly.

“One minute people love you, the next they hate you,” she said. “It’s all so fluid and it really doesn’t f***ing matter because people’s opinions are gonna change next week.”