Panamanian influencer Gracie Bon has faced a wave of online criticism after sharing photographs of herself posing amid earthquake damage and rubble in Panama.
The social media personality, who boasts almost 12 million Instagram followers, posted the images on Sunday, showing herself among the remains of damaged buildings.
In one photograph, Bon stood on top of the debris with her arms raised. Another showed her kneeling outside a badly damaged home while looking away from the camera.
She wore blue jeans with a white cropped button-down shirt as she posed at the disaster site.
“The reality of my country after the earthquake,” Bon wrote in the caption.
She continued: “We have to remember that material things can be replaced, but life is priceless. Live in the present, be grateful for what we have and help those who need it today.”
The post quickly drew backlash, with critics accusing Bon of staging a photo shoot among the wreckage and exploiting the disaster to create social media content.
“I would never take a picture in the middle of a tragedy, among people and their belongings,” one commenter wrote. “Strength to everyone going through this difficult time.”
Instagram star Gracie Bon has been heavily criticized after posting photos of herself among the rubble and destruction left behind in Panama after last week’s devastating earthquake.
Bon’s images triggered widespread criticism, with users accusing her of turning the disaster zone into a backdrop, although she said the post was intended to encourage donations for those affected.
“Unbelievable… just looking for likes,” another person commented.
“Posing beside someone else’s misfortune has to be a joke,” a second critic added.
“How do I make this about me?” another commenter wrote. “Why go posing in the middle of a disaster?”
Another user said they could not believe Bon had asked someone to photograph her outside a destroyed home.
“Did you really hire a photographer to go to the affected area and take these pictures?” a different user asked.
One particularly critical response said there was “a huge difference” between documenting a disaster to raise awareness and using the site of a tragedy as a photo backdrop.
The magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Panama on Friday, southwest of Pitaloza Arriba, a small village of slightly more than 100 people in Herrera province.
Images and reports from the aftermath showed collapsed structures, cracked roads and roofs that had caved in. Authorities said the most significant damage was recorded in central Panama.
Bon has almost 12 million followers on Instagram.
No deaths have been reported, but at least 27 people sustained injuries and nearly 900 homes were damaged, according to Reuters.
Amid the backlash, Bon defended herself in a comment, explaining that she posted the photos to try to show the ‘reality of her country’ after the earthquake because ‘many news [sites] don’t show it.’
‘CONTEXT: These photos are the reality of the country. Many news [sites] don’t show it, many media says “Panama is fine” and they don’t show the reality of the affected areas, the people who lost their homes,’ she wrote.
She said she wanted to encourage her followers to ‘make donations’ and knew that if she ‘appeared in the photos’ they would have a ‘better reach.’
‘I decided to appear in my photos because I want people to make donations and if I appear in my photos they have a better reach on MY NETWORKS than if I put the images alone,’ she continued.
‘I’m not in a photoshoot or posing, I’m telling y’all “Look, this is how Panama really is.”‘
‘But you have a damaged heart that prefers to insult and not help the cause,’ she added to her haters.
The massive magnitude 7.7 earthquake hit Panama southwest of Pitaloza Arriba, a village of just over 100 residents in Herrera province, on Friday
‘If I hadn’t been in the picture, would it be okay? The [more important] question is: What is everyone doing to contribute?’
Earlier that day, Bon shared a video of herself stocking up on supplies like cases of bottled water and bags of rice to donate to victims.
She was then seen traveling to the area and handing them out to families.
‘Panama needs us. While some today are fortunate enough to be safe in our homes, there are families who have lost almost everything and do not know where they will sleep tonight,’ she captioned it.
‘Today I bring a grain of [rice], what to us is little, to someone else it may mean so much.’
She also included addresses of places where people can drop off ‘water, non-perishable food, hygiene products, diapers and basic necessities’ to donate.
‘If you can’t donate, sharing is also a way to help,’ she added.
Bon posted a video addressing the backlash on Monday, insisting that she hadn’t made any money from the post.
‘Instead of talking about [the families who lost their homes], they are talking about a picture of me,’ she said.
‘Many are only behind the keyboard criticizing and they do not [answer] the question, “What have you done so far to help Panama?”
‘Tomorrow you will forget about my photo, but that family will remain without a home.’
‘There are people who get more outraged by a photo than by seeing families lose everything. Sometimes the problem is not what we do, but the eyes with which you decide to see it,’ she added in the caption. ‘Let’s help Panama.’