I’m a waitress “afraid of ketchup,” a woman claims in her viral video

A waitress says she has a ketchup phobia – while a therapist told Fox News Digital that talking about it could make the situation worse.

Alexandriah Govan, 23, from Glasgow, Scotland, recently shared a TikTok video showing herself refilling ketchup bottles at the restaurant where she worked.

In the video, Govan can be seen choking and grimacing, and the video’s on-screen text reads: “Worst moment of the day.”

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The video has been viewed more than 8.7 million times and received more than 370,000 likes on the app.

Govan noted in the caption that she was “afraid of ketchup.”

This fear arose in her childhood, Govan told What’s the Jam, a British news outlet, according to Jam Press.

“My sister sprayed a bottle of it on me,” she said. “The smell, even the color, makes me shiver. I hate it so much.”

As a waitress, Govan has to work with ketchup – and she had to try to hide her extreme reactions to the condiment, she said.

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“I think the smell of vinegar puts me off the most,” she said. “When customers use it, the bottle makes noise [me feel] even worse.”

“I think the smell of vinegar puts me off the most.”

Govan’s dislike of condiments isn’t just limited to ketchup, she told What’s the Jam.

“I have a phobia of most other sauces – especially mayonnaise,” she said. “Plus, the little holes in the flatbreads scare me – I can’t eat them.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to Govan for further thoughts.

Many people in the comments section of Govan’s post were sympathetic to her discomfort with ketchup.

“I honestly thought I was the only person in the world afraid of ketchup,” one TikTok user wrote.

Several others who commented on the viral video admitted to having a similar fear of ketchup. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

“[I don’t know] if it’s just me, but I think it’s me [a] “Ketchupaphobia” because my soul can’t stand ketchup touching my skin,” said another.

Rachel Goldberg, a Los Angeles-based therapist who works in eating disorder recovery, told Fox News Digital that Govan’s aversion to ketchup may not be a “real phobia.”

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“With a true phobia, she may not be able to tolerate working in a restaurant where she is regularly exposed to ketchup,” Goldberg said.

“In her case, she is able to be around, albeit with noticeable discomfort.”

It’s not uncommon for food-related fears to be linked to traumatic experiences, Goldberg said, including being sprayed with a bottle of ketchup as a child.

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“Alternatively, these fears may also be rooted in aversions to certain textures, smells or tastes, which may be characteristic of an eating disorder called ARFID (Averageant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder),” she said.

Phobias, Goldberg said, “tend to persist because they are reinforced both mentally and behaviorally.”

Many people were sympathetic to Govan’s discomfort with ketchup (she is pictured above). Meanwhile, one therapist said that phobias like these “tend to persist because they are reinforced both mentally and behaviorally.” (jam press)

“By identifying with her ketchup phobia, talking openly about it, and showing physical discomfort around it, she reinforces the fear and keeps it active in her mind, as something to avoid,” she said.

If Govan wanted to address her fear of ketchup, Goldberg said, she should either try to expose herself to it even more or “reframe her perception” of the food so that it seems less scary.

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“Since she can already tolerate some level of exposure, it might be helpful to switch to small flavors or find ways to incorporate it into foods she enjoys,” Goldberg said.

It might also be helpful to figure out what exactly is so off-putting about ketchup, Goldberg said.

“If it’s mostly because of the smell, there may be limited options to change their reaction. However, if it’s related to a past trauma, it might be helpful to come to terms with the fact that that event no longer defines their relationship with that food,” she said.

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“Ultimately, this could largely be due to how closely she identifies with her phobia, which can make the problem worse,” Goldberg said.

“Reducing that focus and gradually facing the discomfort without batting an eye, pouring it out in a way that expresses her fear, and telling others about it could make her feel more empowered to cope .”