Vanderpump Rules veteran Stassi Schroeder made her runway debut during the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit portion of Miami Swim Week on Sunday, May 31.
What should have been a triumphant moment for her turned into a lightning rod for social media criticism. She was mocked for departing from the traditional catwalk posture and entering the stage with her hips swaying in a manner that put her “pelvis first.”
Highlights
- Stassi Schroeder made her runway debut at Miami Swim Week’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit segment over the weekend.
- Her walk quickly went viral for an unconventional “pelvis-first” style, sparking heavy social media backlash.
- Some supporters, however, defended Schroeder by praising her post-baby physique.
Some suspected the move was a failed attempt to accentuate her curves.
“Was she trying to make her behind look bigger?” one asked.
Netizens widely mocked Stassi Schroeder’s walk at the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit event
Image credits: stassischroeder
Schroeder walked the Sports Illustrated runway in a bright orange two-piece bikini.
She let her brunette hair loose, which cascaded down her shoulders and almost touched her waist, and topped off her look with golden earrings, necklaces, and hand accessories that sparkled under the spotlight.
None of this captured netizens’ attention quite like Schroeder’s walk, though.
Image credits: stassischroeder
“She did not walk. She led with her hips like they owed her money. Sports Illustrated or Sports Illustrated Pelvis Edition,” one critic commented.
“Just to be clear, this is the unsexiest walk I’ve ever seen,” claimed a second, while a third likened Schroeder’s walk to an “ostrich.”
Image credits: Sports Illustrated
“It made me appreciate models I thought could not walk,” remarked a fourth.
Image credits: thetaylorperrin
One user pointed out that Real Housewives of New York City star Bethenny Frankel “also did the pelvis-first thing.”
They went on to ask: “Did Sports Illustrated tell every Bravo celebrity to do that?”
“Quit putting Bravolebrities on a runway. It's embarrassing,” someone else voiced.
Bravo celebrities, or Bravolebrities, for those unversed, are celebrities who appear on reality shows aired by the US television network Bravo.
Amid the criticism, Schroeder’s fans applauded her fitness after giving birth to two children
Image credits: virtualrealitea
Stassi Schroeder and her husband, Beau Clark, welcomed a daughter named Hartford Charlie Rose Clark in January 2021.
The couple expanded their family with a second child, a son named Messer Rhys Clark, in 2023.
Image credits: Sports Illustrated
A 2018 University of Utah study found that many women retain some baby weight or experience shifts in fat distribution after pregnancy, including added pounds around the lower waist. Schroeder, however, did not appear to show those changes.
Image credits: stassischroeder
“I wish I could have looked like this after having two kids,” a Schroeder fan wrote on X.
“I don’t have kids, but I still do not look half as decent. Kudos to her for maintaining herself,” said a second.
“Amazing after two children,” a third wrote, while a fourth simply called Schroeder “mom goals.”
Schroeder went on a strict diet to prepare for her Sports Illustrated runway debut
Image credits: stassischroeder
“Stassi really wanted to look incredible for the show, so she went on a massive diet,” a source close to the reality star told The Daily Mail on Monday.
“She skipped breakfast, had only a salad for lunch, and then did not touch a carb after 5 p.m., so she was having only about 600 calories a day,” another source added.
Image credits: kimalyssa88
“The weight just melted off her body, but that kind of diet is very hard to do because the cravings are insane, Stassi said. It's not easy for her to diet that hard, but the results were amazing, and she felt great about herself,” the second source revealed.
Image credits: Capn_Reynolds
Schroeder had previously shared that she does intermittent fasting to stay slender.
There are many methods of intermittent fasting, with the most common being not having a meal for 16 hours and eating only within a chosen eight-hour window.
Intermittent fasting often allows people to satisfy their cravings within a designated eating window, making it a popular choice among many, including Schroeder, who once said she loved that she could “still have ranch dressing.”
Functional nutritionist Monica Partier told The Daily Mail that intermittent fasting improves metabolic flexibility, stabilizes blood sugar, and promotes cellular repair.
"I love Stassi but this has me weak," a social media user said about Schroeder's Sports Illustrated walk
Image credits: bin_gbada
Image credits: aboutasteph
Image credits: KathrynCardozo
Image credits: StaticPuddyll
Image credits: booklover_novel
Image credits: stottpie
Image credits: Themrbachelor
Image credits: britttlifts
Image credits: Rio__in
Image credits: SassyPantsSuzy