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." Front Of The Class -2008-
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) The aesthetic wasn't "clean girl
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." Was it expensive
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To be "Front of the CL" in 2008 meant you understood the hierarchy. You didn't buy drinks at the bar; you ordered a table . The bottle girls carried sparklers. You bought a $400 bottle of Grey Goose or Ciroc, and you got a "mixer" of cranberry juice the size of a thimble.