The Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management has written an open letter discussing the costume worn by Halima Hoy at the Miss Universe Belize pageant, which represented the cultural deer dance. The dance is a deeply rooted part of Maya traditions, but they call MUB's depiction at the pageant, "sacrilegious misuse."

The letter explains that the deer dance is, quote, "never performed. It is not theatrical. It is always undertaken by a community, not an individual. It is a true embodiment of the community spirit that is so critical to Maya cultures." End quote. The ceremonial clothing itself, they explain, holds spiritual significance as a prayer, and the rituals include fasting, prayers, and offerings.

In regards to Hoy's costume, the letter says, quote, "this sacred, ritualized clothing should never be a vehicle for something else, however well-intentioned. In this case, the Deer Dance was desecrated for a beauty pageant. Claimed to be an 'exact replica,' [it] was defaced with a political message. The revealing bustier also offends Maya women's conservative values against public displays. The ritualized dance cannot be 'cut and pasted' from YouTube videos for a few steps on stage. To mimic the dance is to mock the sacred values of an entire culture - like 'performing' the transformation of the host into the body of Christ and handing it to the judges or like doing dugu outside the family." End quote.

SATIIM then added that it is possible to share the Maya culture without it being sacrilegious, as with the Xe'il clothing line. They say that Mayas choose what to share from their culture, and that 'inspiration' is not an excuse for exploitation.