If you're a "One Tree Hill" fan, or even if you're not, you've probably heard of Brooke Davis, the character played by Sophia Bush in the CW drama that follows the residents of Tree Hill, North Carolina (filmed in Wilmington!) from high schoolers to adults with careers and families.
Throughout nine seasons, viewers see Brooke evolve from a snooty, party-girl/ cheerleader and all around popular mean girl, to a graceful, successful woman with a fashion line and empire of her own. Brooke Davis truly becomes to "girl-boss" we all secretly wish to be. It is for this reason and so many others that I think we could all learn something from this character of a fictional town.
One thing I always admired about Brooke is that no matter what stage of life she was in, she always rose above the stereotypes people around her gave her. In high school, she may have been a mean cheerleader, but she also started a sober-driving program for Tree Hill High School and ultimately became student body president. Do people label you as a nerd, a stoner, or a jock?
Spend a few hours watching Brooke Davis in action and you'll learn there is always room to grow past anyone's expectations of you. Even if time after time in the past, you have proven that label to be true, it is never too late to change. Brooke teaches us that it is never too late to prove that label wrong, and then keep doing it every day.
In each season of "One Tree Hill", we see that Brooke never settles for anything less than she deserves. Mostly we see this in her relationships. You will never see a boy taking advantage of her. Brooke Davis knows what she deserves and she is not afraid to take it. Not only does she fight for the best for herself, but she advocates for her friends, and even those she barely knows or might dislike. She wants to see everyone getting what they deserve- even if it may be from a vengeful standpoint. But hey- I did say she grows out of her mean girl stage!
This may be obvious from looking at any picture of Sophia Bush's character, but she has the confidence that I can only dream of having. I think this comes from her knowing at her core that she's more than the rumors and labels people try to limit her to. It's easy for us to succumb to the things we hear others say about us, but you will not see Brooke letting that get her down. She can walk into a room full of people she knows dislike her, and she won't think twice about it.
We could all stand to draw a little of that essence from Brooke Davis.
I know it may sound silly for me to compare myself and the rest of us to a character on TV. Sure she hasn't been through the situations we have, or she gets the benefit of screenwriters telling her how to act. But regardless of the context, Brooke Davis is a person we could all stand to take a few notes from- and shout out to the creators of "One Tree Hill" for creating such a powerful and force-to-be-reckoned-with role model for us to have.
