A Myanmarese Doctor Who Becomes An OnlyFans Model Sentenced To Prison For 'Harming Culture And Dignity'

28/09/2022

A doctor, a highly praised profession. The word comes from the Latin word for "teacher," and can be traced back to prehistoric times, painted on cave walls, depicting people using plants for medicinal purposes.

Fast forward to the modern days, the doctor profession, also called a physician, has changed quite a bit. But no matter how much it changed, the profession is high in pride.

It's a profession valued in the society, as these people dedicate themselves to helping others, and even work with an oath to save others' lives.

To become a licensed professional, one must undergo vigorous studies in what is considered one of the longest training programs in formal education.

While the salary of medical practitioners are relatively high, some people wish for more. While the profession is highly sought-after anywhere in the world, sometimes, it doesn't go well with some people's passion.

This time, in Myanmar, a woman is sentenced to six years in prison for becoming an OnlyFans model.

Nang Mwe San.
Nang Mwe San, a doctor who then becomes a model.

Nang Mwe San was in her early 20s when she earned her degree.

She began working at a local hospital in Myanmar, before becoming a 30-year-old trained physician.

Then, she began working for a nonprofit organization in Shan, Kachin, and Rakhine States, drawn to medical work in conflict zones, and had been stationed in displaced camps for the Rohingya Muslim minority, among others.

"While other fresh graduates were not willing to serve in the countryside and tried to get postings in cities like Yangon, I wanted to go to such places," she said, adding that her parents were constantly worried about her safety.

Nang Mwe San loves being a doctor, but she also dreamt of being a model.

Because of this, Nang Mwe San decided to temporarily stop practicing in 2017, and started her lifelong dream of posing in front of cameras.

Two years later, in 2019, she received warnings from the Myanmar Medical Council.

At that time, she was forced to front the council, where she was told that her content went against Burmese tradition. Nang Mwe San was also forced to sign an agreement to remove the photos or risk losing her license.

She ignored the warning and the order, and continued posting racy photos of herself, which mostly include her in tight bikinis in various poses.

For this reason, her license was revoked on June 3, 2019.

She was "shocked" and "sad" when she faced this fact.

She said that she worked hard for her license.

"Did I dress in sexy outfits when I was meeting my patients? Never," she said, explaining how others commented that her choice in life is a degradation to her physician profession.

"Society doesn't own women's body. My body, My right. Thanks to all my fans from my country, Burma and all around the world who support and encourage me, I love y'all."

Nang Mwe San recalled how her own government didn't call her a model despite of her work, and instead, "they told me I have a behavior disorder."

"Here there is so much sexism," she said in an interview at the time.

"They don't want women to have higher positions. And they judge women on what we wear. They don't even want us to wear trousers."

Read: Indonesian OnlyFans Model Arrested After Taking An Exhibitionist Video In An Airport

At first, she found herself in a dilemma.

Should she fight to get her license back and fulfill her parents’ wishes of being a doctor, or should she follow her other passion and become a full-time model?

"I was looking at [actresses] like Mila Kunis, Megan Fox, and posing for photos like them," she said. "I am very passionate about modeling. When my passion became my job, the feeling was incredible."

After thoroughly thinking about it, she decided to pursue her career in modelling, and ditched her doctor profession.

Without her license, she was forced to resign from her job. Following that, she took her fame to the internet, and made a name for herself through her content.

Besides modelling, she also started advocating for other fellow women.

Nang Mwe San also becomes an activist in Myanmar who openly talked about sexuality and the government.

Nang Mwe San.

She recalled how she lacked the confidence when she bear more of her skin to the camera.

But after amassing a following, and after the story about her losing her license went viral in Myanmar, her confidence shot up sky high.

With the confidence she finally gained, she gathered enough courage to join OnlyFans.

She registered during the COVID-19 pandemic, after getting requests from her fans.

She believes she is the first model from Myanmar active on the platform.

Although she has amassed enough bravery to pose alluringly and sexually , she said she doesn’t want to do any sex acts on camera, let alone sexual intercourse.

As a model at heart, she only wishes to pose, both clothed and unclothed, but not act.

"Some of [my fans] wanted me to be a hot porn star, but I can't do it," she said.

Regardless, her massive following gave enough momentum to earn money beyond her doctor paycheck, which skyrocketed to a combined $20,000 in just months after starting.

"I enjoyed posting sexy photos on social media. The organization I was working with at that time didn’t like it," she said.

Since then, the rest is history, and that Nang Mwe San has successfully cemented her name as a national sex symbol with millions of followers.

In fact, Nang Mwe San was the fourth highest trending individual in Myanmar in 2022, according to Google Trends.

Nang Mwe San.

Nang Mwe San's mother was displeased about her daughter's decision.

At first, as a mother, she couldn't accept the fact that her daughter is earning money by exposing her body sexually as a profession, by ditching a highly-praised career that could last a lifetime.

But later, she learned to accept it.

"At first, I was not pleased to see her posting these kinds of photos on social media, but I became okay with it when I noticed that she knows how to control herself," her mother, Kyu Kyu Swe said, alluding to the boundaries her daughter has established.

Kyu Kyu Swe even began supporting her daughter, but only on commercial shoots, where she helped her daughter prepare her outfits and giving her suggestions.

"No parent in Myanmar would like to see their daughter posing for sexy photos. But as I am an adult, they don't want to control me anymore," Nang Mwe San said, adding that she hopes her example will encourage other women to do what they want and be independent.

"Women in this country shouldn’t feel bad about what they are doing. Anything you are doing can also be a promotion for the country, then other people will notice your country."

OnlyFans is he popular subscription-based content platform that has created models out of amateurs, sex workers and even celebrities and adult performers alike around the world

Nang Mwe San said that OnlyFans is where she earned most of her money, and also where she received the most hate comments.

"I do not even check the negative comments under the social media accounts," she said, explaining how she was criticized for her decision for letting go her physician profession.

"For me, I don’t really care about the negative comments anymore. I tried to ignore them [...] Then I can focus on what I am doing and what I am going to do in the future.”

But it's also this decision of letting go her doctor profession, and becoming an adult content creator, that dragged her into court.

It's believed that Nang Mwe San is the first person in Myanmar jailed for OnlyFans content.

Read: YouTuber From Thailand Fled Her Country Because Of Her Sex Tapes On OnlyFans Were Leaked

Nang Mwe San is put in prison following a military court, accused for earning money by posting adult content to the internet.

She was found guilty of distributing her nude photos and videos on social media sites for a fee, in which under Section 33 (A) of the country's Electronics Transactions Law, carries a maximum sentence of seven years.

Nang Mwe San has been charged for "harming culture and dignity" with internet content that is "not in line with Myanmar culture,” military authorities said.

It's worth noting that the model lived in Yangon's North Dagon Township, a region where military administration is followed.

In such areas, and under state of emergency laws renewed by the Myanmar junta government earlier this 2023, those charged with crimes are tried in a military court.

They're also denied rights like access to a lawyer.

What's more, it's also worth noting, that Nang Mwe San had also previously taken part in protests against the military which seized power in 2021 in a coup.

Because of what she did, and what she was accused for, Nang Mwe San was put into the Insein Prison Court, the capital's notorious prison and the largest in Myanmar.

That prison is the the same prison where many political prisoners have been sent since the coup began in 2022.

According to Nang Mwe San's mother, she was able to contact with her daughter weeks after she was detained, but had only realized about the military sentencing after the media confirmed it.

Myanmar's military overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi's democratically elected government in February 2021 - sparking huge protests across the country and a widespread resistance movement.

Besides Nang Mwe San, another OnlyFans model named Thinzar Wint Kyaw who also shared her protest participation on social media.

Thinzar Wint Kyaw is the second person arrested under the same law.

Mugshot for Nang Mwe San and Thinzar Wint Kyaw.
Mugshot for Nang Mwe San (left), and Thinzar Wint Kyaw (right)

The two women had done so "without the modesty which should be maintained by Myanmar women," the accusation said.

It's estimated that more than 15,600 people, including former State Counsellor of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi, lawmakers, activists and journalists, have been arrested since the military seized power.

More than 12,000 people remain detained while more 2,322 political prisoners have been killed by the regime, said the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a monitoring group.

Even, UK's former ambassador to Myanmar Vicky Bowman and her husband were both jailed for a year for breaching immigration laws.

But speculations suggest that their case was a result of wider political concerns rather than some other offences.

After all, foreigners are rarely prosecuted in Myanmar.

Further reading: 19-Year-Old OnlyFans Star And Her Boyfriend Arrested, And This Angered Fans And Activists