Gracie Bon Defends Panama Earthquake Rubble Photos After Critics Accuse Her of Staging a Photoshoot

Gracie Bon has defended photographs of herself among earthquake-damaged buildings in Panama after social media users accused her of turning a natural disaster into a photoshoot opportunity. The Panamanian model says her visit was intended to help affected families and encourage donations.

The criticism followed images posted on Sunday 11 October, two days after powerful earthquakes struck the country. Although her accompanying message urged followers to help, some viewers questioned whether featuring herself among the rubble distracted from residents' losses.

Bon Says Her Visit Was Intended to Help Families

Bon addressed the criticism in a video, saying she had visited the affected area to donate resources and help families rebuild, according to TMZ.

She said she wanted to document the damage, draw attention to people whose homes had been destroyed and encourage her followers to assist. That is her explanation of the visit; the reporting does not independently establish how much aid she delivered or how many families received support.

El País also reported her response through Instagram Stories, where she denied staging a photoshoot.

'I'm not posing; I simply appear in the photo in my post,' she said, according to the publication, in remarks translated from Spanish. 'If I hadn't appeared in the photos, would they be more acceptable to you?'

Bon said she wanted to show conditions she believed were not receiving sufficient coverage.

'I'm not doing a photoshoot or posing. I'm telling you: look, this is what Panama really looks like,' she said in the same reported response.

Why Gracie Bon's Earthquake Photos Drew Criticism

Bon's 11 October post showed her among rubble and damaged structures. The criticism centred on her decision to feature herself in the images, with some commenters describing the setting as an inappropriate backdrop for posed photographs.

Critics argued that the presentation risked shifting attention from the people affected to the influencer herself. Bon disputed that interpretation, maintaining that the photographs were intended to make the destruction visible and encourage assistance.

Her original Spanish caption, reproduced by El País, stressed the importance of human life over material possessions. She wrote that possessions could be recovered but life was priceless, and urged followers to appreciate what they had and help those in need.

The disagreement therefore concerned how she presented the appeal as well as the message itself. The photographs document her presence at the damaged site, but do not establish whether the visit was staged or independently verify the assistance she described.

Panama Earthquake Leaves Communities Facing Damage and Displacement

Magnitude 7.7 and 6.6 earthquakes struck Panama on Friday 9 October. AP reported that buildings near the epicentre collapsed and evacuations took place across the country.

Engineering News-Record reported on 12 October that at least 27 people had been injured and nearly 900 homes damaged, citing Panama's government. No fatalities had been reported, and authorities had declared a state of emergency to support relief and recovery efforts.

The declaration enabled the government to allocate response funds without further legislative approval, according to the publication.

In a subsequent address reported by Qazinform on 13 October, President José Raúl Mulino said 6,174 people had been affected and 1,744 homes inspected. He said assessments were continuing while authorities delivered food and drinking water and restored infrastructure.

The inspected-home figure is separate from the earlier total of damaged properties. Both formed part of the continuing assessment of the earthquakes' effects.

Historic buildings were also affected. Video showed the collapse of the bell tower at St John the Baptist Cathedral in Penonomé, in Coclé province, according to reporting carried by Yahoo.