Rio de Janeiro mayor wants to project Taylor Swift T-shirt on Jesus Christ statue

Taylor Swift fans in Brazil want to see the Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) statue dressed in a “Junior Jewels” T-shirt. Not a physical tee, but a projection.

Anthony Roberto Justus created the fan account @taylorswiftbrazilians. He has 60,000 followers on Instagram and boasts he is the “first fan account from Brazil to get a like from Taylor.”

He said that on Sunday a campaign on X, formerly Twitter, started by @enchantediscord went viral across the country with a rendering of the massive statue wearing the T-shirt Swift wears in her "You Belong With Me" music video.

"The idea of designing a T-shirt showcases our love of her art and shows that we are all eagerly awaiting her arrival with love," Justus, 20, said. "We tagged the mayor. He saw it, and he thought it was brilliant.”

The mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, replied to fans on X. The following social media posts have been translated from Portuguese.

“Dear @taylorswift13 fans, I'm going to ask dear Father Omar to see if we can get this honor," Paes wrote. "He's the guy who runs the projections at @cristoredentor! In the meantime: his Instagram is @padreomaroficial.”

According to Justus, fans messaged Father Omar, who posted an Instagram story: “@taylorswift fans, we received your comments with great joy and await contact from the singer's advisors.”

“On several occasions, they will project images onto the statue,” Justus said, “but always with the owner’s authorization. Even though the rendering is art illustrated by fans, we don’t want to violate Taylor’s copyright.”

The art deco sculpture stands 98 feet tall atop Corcovado Mountain. The iconic arms stretched open symbolize peace. The Christian statue was voted one of the “New 7 Wonders of the World.”

"It's not a place for advertising," Justus said. "It is often used to highlight significant elements of culture. Christ represents a point of reflection, where we find peace, and is one of the greatest beauties of our country. It's an honor to host Taylor."

Swift is set to perform her Eras Tour at Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos in Rio de Janeiro on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Follow Bryan West, the USA TODAY Network's Taylor Swift reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.