A top student at a Myanmar high school, Nang Mwe San fulfilled her parents’ wish and enrolled in medical school. By 22, she was a doctor. But being a physician was never her dream.

What she really wanted to be was a “sexy model.” After several years of treating patients and working for nonprofit medical groups, Dr. Mwe San swapped her scrubs and white coat for bikinis and lingerie.

Two years ago, she began shooting commercials and posting racy images of herself on Facebook.

For the staid doctors of the Myanmar Medical Council, seeing so much of the human body — specifically, hers — was more than they could handle. The council, which oversees the country’s doctors and hospitals, ordered her in January to stop posting such images and to delete them from her page.

She also worked for a local health NGO. It is there that she abruptly realised others’ perception would be impacted by her modeling passion. The organisation warned her not to shoot sexy photos because some of their sponsors were religious. They gave her informal warnings. Instead of following suit, she quitted.