AI or Art? Costume Controversy Clouds Miss Universe Belize

Is it creativity, or just code? That’s the question lighting up social media across the country after the Miss Universe Belize Committee unveiled the top three finalists in its National Costume Design Competition. The theme centered around our vibrant national bird, the keel-billed toucan. The designs are bold, intricate, and eye-catching. But some artists and Belizeans are questioning what they see, pointing out odd similarities and inconsistencies that suggest these costumes may not have been sketched by hand, but generated by artificial intelligence. So, what really goes into creating a costume that represents Belize on the world stage? And does AI have a place in that process? News Five’s Britney Gordon takes a closer look at the controversy and the craftsmanship behind national pride.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

The countdown is on, just five months to go until Isabella Zabaneh, Miss Universe Belize 2025, steps onto the global stage to represent the Jewel. She’s got the poise, the presence, and the personality, but there’s one piece of the puzzle still in progress: her national costume. Earlier this week, the Miss Universe Belize Committee revealed the top three finalists in the costume design competition. Belize’s majestic toucan is this year’s theme. But instead of applause, the designs have set off a heated online debate. Belizeans, especially local artists, are questioning whether these intricate creations were made by human hands or generated by artificial intelligence. Among the critics is Alex Sanker, a well-known artist who’s supported the pageant in the past with hand-painted pieces.

 

Alex Sanker, Visual Artist

“For me it’s obvious because, I’ve been doing this for a long time, but I’m pretty sure like I mentioned, I did a post this morning and I said, AI should not be presented in something like this. First of all, you have artists that could design these, we’d be doing for decades. Generally, I think I have a saying to doing this because I took a burden on myself to paint the last seven Miss Universes, which we saw something traditional. But when I saw the images, yes, it’s pretty. But there’s nothing there. It’s like a kid, ten years old. I have the knowledge of AI could create something like that.”

The selected designs have all incorporated the national bird; nonetheless, social media users were quick to point out the similarities in style and color scheme. Curious to see what AI could do; we decided to test it ourselves. We entered our own prompt into ChatGPT, and the results were strikingly similar to the designs online. To get a better sense of how these costumes came to life, we reached out to Monilee Aspinall, one of the designers. She teamed up with visual artist Nissa Sanchez to co-design their submission, and shared insight into their creative process, raising even more questions about where human creativity ends and machine-generated art begins.

 

Monilee Aspinall, Costume Designer

“My first thought   was, I don’t want to do regular toucan, where there’s like that beacon that hit that gives like children’s costume. We’re so tired of seeing that. So I wanted something where you would be able to incorporate the tuan within the body. My next thing was I didn’t want to do like over the shoulder or something that’s also done so regularly. So I wanted it where. Bella is so tall and slim, I wanted to be able to use that to our advantage. So using her arms to create the bee and her body to simulate the body.”

 

Other artists like Maureen Navarrette and Khashief King brought bold, creative flair to the competition, one with a toucan in flight, the other blending flowers and the national flag. But critics aren’t impressed with the finalists. They’ve pointed out mismatched colors, awkward feather details, and even the wrong species of toucan, fueling suspicions that AI, not artists, may be behind the designs.

 

Alex Sanker

“I went on the web on Miss Universe, and I saw they’re getting the most votes, but then I don’t want to hear, oh they could adjust it. No, that was something I was selected to be the top three. And it’s not even our toucan, it’s not our national bird. It’s a toucan. Yes. It’s a keel-billed. That’s not what it is. And that’s the one that’s getting the most vote because. Again, people do think without considering the value of what they’re presenting to the world.”

 

The popularity of these pieces highlights the subjectivity of art. Whether the sketch is created by a human or not, some people will still gravitate towards the designs overall aesthetic. But there is more to a costume design than just its looks.  An artist must consider the practicality of the costume and how it can be executed off the page.

 

Monilee Aspinall

“I know  we love a like huge costume, and I love the idea of that as well. And I think that sometimes. That large costume, we don’t want it to overpower the toucan, that’s the theme that they’re going for. So we had to think about small things like if we use the arms for beak that means that certain parts of the body will have to be softer or easily moved. So we thought about like gymnastic costumes where there’s that beading and bedazzlement in certain areas, but then there’s still that, flesh tone fabric under the arms that allows them to move, but gives them that continuity or down the arms, down the legs.”

 

Artist Alex Sanker is speaking out against what he sees as a troubling trend, AI-generated art taking the spotlight from real, human creativity. He hopes that by continuing his work and advocacy, young artists will not become demotivated to pursue their passions in art.

 

Alex Sanker

“ I have a lot of parents, this is the new thing now where parents will bring their kids that an artist and they just blown by your work. And I tell them one thing, them and their parents, don’t do this for the money, don’t do it for the fame. Do it because you love it. If you do it because you love it, everything gonna fall into place. Listen, we have top of the line, international type level of talent here.”

 

Britney Gordon for News Five.