Gracie Bon's Panama earthquake photos draw backlash

Panama is still dealing with the aftermath of a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that hit last week, TMZ reports. On Sunday, a Panamanian influencer posted from the wreckage, and, per TMZ, it did not land the way she wanted.

Gracie Bon shared photos of herself posing in the rubble. The comments filled with critics asking why anyone would stage pictures at the site of a natural disaster.

Her caption opened on the reality of her country after the earthquake, then added: “we have to remember that the material is recovered, but life is priceless.”

“live the present, be grateful for what we have and extend help to those who need it today stay strong Panama we'll get through this”

She answered the criticism with a video. In it, she said she had gone to the affected area to bring resources to families and to help them rebuild. She said the photos were not posed, and that she shared them to show her followers what had happened and to push them to pitch in.

Why this one is hard to land

Disaster coverage and disaster selfies arrive in the same feed, and readers sort them fast. A person standing in wreckage is, first, a picture of that person. The caption is what tries to change that, and the follow-up video is what usually does the work.

Answering critics on camera, in your own voice, with a reason for being there, is the standard play. It moves the argument from the image to the intent, which is a better fight to have. It only holds if the details hold up.

Bon's followers now have two versions of the same weekend: the photos TMZ describes as posed, and her account of why she was there. The earthquake damage is the part that does not change either way.

• Gracie Bon
• influencers
• Instagram
• Panama earthquake
• social media backlash