Influencer Gracie Bon has sparked outrage after sharing photos of herself among the rubble left by a powerful earthquake in Panama, with critics accusing her of using the disaster to attract attention online.
The plus-sized model, who was born in Panama but lives in the United States, posted a series of photographs showing herself in a tight-fitting white shirt and jeans, crouching beside damaged homes and piles of debris.
The photos were taken in the aftermath of a magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck on Friday, sending tremors across Panama’s southern coast and triggering tsunami warnings across the region. Almost 900 homes were reportedly destroyed.
The images drew criticism from social media users, who questioned why Bon had chosen to pose for glamorous photographs at a disaster site.
One Instagram user wrote: “It’s one thing to report on the situation in the country, but quite another to create content based on other people’s misfortunes!”
Another commenter argued that Bon did not “need to be in the picture for the message to get through”, while another questioned why she had taken photographs in front of someone’s destroyed home.
Bon, who has more than 11 million Instagram followers, later defended herself against the backlash, insisting that she was not posing in the photographs.
“I am not posing. I simply decided to post a picture of myself in it,” she wrote.
“My intention was to help with resources and find some families that I could help rebuild their homes.”
The influencer also shared a photograph of herself carrying a case of water for disaster victims and announced that she would donate towards reconstruction efforts.
However, her explanation failed to convince everyone, with one critic arguing that people could help others without repeatedly posting their actions on social media.
The controversy is not the first time Bon has faced criticism online. Last year, she called on luxury carmaker McLaren to make larger sports car seats to accommodate her 55-inch hips.
“Super cars should be for everyone,” she wrote in a video showing herself squeezing into the front seat, adding: “@McLaren, just make bigger seats.”
Some viewers criticised the demand, with one commenting: “The world does not revolve around you.”
Bon has also spoken publicly about experiencing discrimination because of her size. In a February Instagram post, she described being stared at during a trip to Disneyland, where she said she needed two seats on certain rides.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes. People were shocked to see my body, like hello this is America,” she said.
The model has also spoken about living with lipedema, a chronic condition that causes disproportionate fat accumulation, particularly in the lower body, and has acknowledged undergoing plastic surgery to enhance her curves.
The Sun said it had contacted Bon for comment.
