The entertainment in 2008 was transitional. Hip-hop was glitzy (Bling Era still hanging on), Electroclash was dying, and Auto-Tune was becoming a lead vocalist.
Let’s step back into the velvet rope.
I have interpreted "Front of the CL" as a reference to being at the forefront of the Club Scene (nightlife) and City Life in 2008, capturing the unique convergence of late-decade excess, digital transition, and iconic entertainment. Time Capsule 2008: Living Life at the Front of the CL (The Last Great Analog Party) Front Of The Class -2008-
The aesthetic wasn't "clean girl." It was disco nap chic .
Was it tacky? God, yes. Was it expensive? Financially ruinous. Do we miss it? Every single time we hear the opening synth of "Just Dance." The entertainment in 2008 was transitional
Breakfast was a waffle at Denny’s or a street hot dog wrapped in bacon. You checked your Sidekick to see if the person you made out with on the dance floor messaged you. They didn't.
The photos were terrible. Red eyes. Greasy foreheads. A girl mid-sneeze. You uploaded them to MySpace or Flickr at 3 AM on your dial-up connection (okay, maybe DSL), and you tagged them with captions like: "Vegas Baby!!!" or "Tuesday night? YOLO before YOLO existed." I have interpreted "Front of the CL" as
2008. You are standing in a roped-off line. The air smells like Drakkar Noir, Juicy Couture perfume, and clove cigarettes. A guy in a Von Dutch hat is arguing with a bouncer wearing an Affliction T-shirt. Inside, the bass line to Flo Rida’s “Low” is rattling the windows of a Pontiac Solstice parked valet.