Meaning:

    “外围” means “peripheral,” and “女” simply means a “woman.” This term may be short for “外围女模特,” which is translated as a “peripheral model.” Chinese netizens use the term to refer to women who call themselves models but are really working as escorts. It’s a euphemism.

    Example:

    A: 我隔壁搬来一个新邻居，年轻漂亮，浑身上下都是名牌。

    Wǒ gébì bānlái yīgè xīn línjū, niánqīng piàoliang, húnshēn shàngxià dōushì míngpái。

    A new neighbor moved next door to my apartment. She is young and pretty, and always wearing luxury brands.

    B: 她做什么工作？

    Tā zuò shénme gōngzuò?

    What does she do?

    A: 她说她是模特，不过白天似乎不怎么出门。

    Tā shuō tā shì mótè, búguò báitiān sìhū bù zěnme chūmén。

    She said she was a model, but I rarely see her leaving her home during the daytime.

    B: 估计是个外围女，真正干模特很辛苦，出名之前收入也不高。

    Gūjì shì ge wàiwéinǚ, zhēnzhèng gàn mótè hěn xīnkǔ, chūmíng zhīqián shōurù yě bù gāo。

    I dare say she is an escort disguised as a model. A real model works very hard to make a living, and does not earn much until she makes her name known.