http://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity-lifestyle/colbie-caillat-photoshop

This is a song about how women are facing so much pressure from everywhere to be pretty that it overwhelms them and they might as well stop trying. This kind of mindset is destructive.

All humans crave validation in various forms. We want our friends to think we are good humans or smart or whatever attribute we are hoping for. We hope that our lovers find us irresistible and lust after us. These concepts give us validation that we are somehow a special or good human being.

In order to get that validation we have to compete for it. We need to prove to people how smart we are or what good friends we are. In the case of a lover we have to prove that we can be something that they desire. We as men try in various ways to get women to love us. Women also try in their own ways to receive validation from us. We constantly compete with others to receive that validation.

Since men are more attracted to a physical form women go out of their way to enhance their forms in order to get that attention. This song attempts to get women to stop trying to get our attention by no longer wearing makeup or enhancing themselves. It spews the line "you don't have to try" over and over again. People who follow that advice are only going to take themselves out of the competition. It doesn't remove their need for that validation, it just makes them unable to compete well enough to get it. The only thing this will do is feed women's hamsters and make them angry that men no longer are interested.

Another interesting thing to note on this is that since women are only really attracted to the top ten percent or so of men that they are forced into a much more fierce competition. In order to nab their prince charming they have to look so much better than all the other women out there. Giving up on that competition is a sure fire way to end up alone and bitter.