Colbie Caillat Takes A Stand Against Photoshop In New Music Video

Colbie Caillat has gone where few ladies in the spotlight have (or are willing to go) in order to make a statement. In her new video for "Try," a single off of her new EP Gypsy Heart, she goes from all dolled up to completely baredfaced, with her hair worn au naturale as well. Much like the unretouched before and after images that make the rounds on the internet, the transformation is shocking, but ultimately eye-opening.

"When I see gorgeous models and singers and they look perfect on their album covers, it makes me want to look like that, too, and it makes me feel like if I don't Photoshop my skin on my album cover, I'm the one who's going to look a little off and everyone else is going to look perfect," she told ELLE.com (opens in new tab) in a candid interview. "And that's what everyone is used to seeing. They're used to seeing people on the album covers completely Photoshopped. On one of my album covers, my arm was shaved down and it made me look very skinny. I think that gives a false reality."

What's more is that Caillat herself wasn't the only one going sans hair and makeup in the video. Much like John Legend (opens in new tab) and his music video (opens in new tab) for "You & I (Nobody in the World)," she casted women of all shapes, sizes, ages, and ethnicities. There was even a woman who bravely shed her wig and revealed that she was completely bald.

For Caillat, the biggest takeaway from the video was how liberated she was by the experience:

"When I shot the first scene with no hair and makeup on in front of an HD camera in my face, flashed with bright lights, everyone was watching," she said. "I thought, 'Oh my god, I bet they're all looking at my blemishes, thinking that I should cover them up, or that I should put some volume in my hair.' But it also felt really cool to be on camera with zero on, like literally nothing on. And then when it got to the full hair and makeup, I actually felt gross. I was just so caked on."

While we're not ready to throw our makeup bags and hot tools away just yet, Caillat's bold experiment is a reminder that emancipating yourself from your beauty routine every once and a while can set you free — yes, even in a world filled with unrealistic beauty ideals.

Read her full interview with ELLE.com here (opens in new tab).