Swedish news sources Expressen and SVT reported on Equality Minister Paulina Brandberg’s unusual phobia of bananas which has recently sparked both curiosity and debate in Sweden, according to an article by Expressen.
Brandberg previously spoke about her phobia on social media, posting on platform X (formerly Twitter), “I have the world’s weirdest phobia of bananas.” back in 2020. Her press team has since confirmed that she receives professional help for this specific fear.
Teresa Carvalho, the Social Democrats’ spokesperson for legal policy, light-heartedly agreed with Brandberg’s phobia with a post on X. “We may have had many tough debates about workplace conditions, but on this issue, we stand united against a common enemy,” Carvalho writes.
This phobia has had tangible effects on other public figures. Jessica Smaaland, chair of a feminist association for people with disabilities, encountered this firsthand during a United Nations meeting in New York. She walked in to see signs featuring crossed-out bananas, and her assistant had to get through 46 floors just to dispose of the hated fruit. Smaaland’s experience has drawn attention to the unusual lengths taken to accommodate Brandberg’s fear in international settings as well.
Brandberg’s staff have mentioned that it’s a severe allergy to bananas. However, she has stated that she simply doesn’t find bananas very appealing and that one could call it an allergy. Brandberg has refrained from commenting on whether it’s reasonable to demand banana-free spaces.
