Swedish Minister Paulina Brandberg avoids bananas at all costs

In recent months, a peculiar situation has unfolded in Sweden concerning Paulina Brandberg, the Minister for Gender Equality. This Liberal Party politician has openly admitted to having a strong aversion to bananas, which she characterized as 'the world’s weirdest phobia.' This admission has came to light after Brandberg made it known in 2020, but it was only recently that detailed accounts of her staff's efforts to accommodate her phobia became public. Reports indicate that her aides have had to clear rooms of bananas and even communicate with various high-profile entities, including the Norwegian government and the King of Sweden, to ensure there are no encounters with her feared fruit. They have sent no less than 44 emails ahead of events to prevent any fruit-related incidents. The phobia is not merely a trivial concern; it has required substantial government resources and has sparked discussions about the burdens and implications of personal fears at high levels of office. The emails released reveal some highly specific aspects of her aversion, such as a response when a venue had planned to use banana leaves for a meal—it was determined that this would still be acceptable. Initially, Brandberg's staff misrepresented the phobia as a serious allergy to mitigate its oddity, but the minister herself has now clarified that it is indeed an emotional response rather than a physical condition. To tackle her fear, Brandberg has sought therapy over several years, yet progress has been described as slow. Her spokesman stated that while she has seen various therapists, she is currently optimistic under the guidance of her new therapist and hopes to overcome her phobia so that it no longer impacts her personal life or those around her.