10 Reasons We Should All Aspire To Be Brooke Davis

By

From the day I started watching One Tree Hill, I wanted to be Brooke Davis. Though beautiful and poised, she made her mistakes and had her flaws; to me, she was a role model at an attainable level.

I’ll admit that I still look to this character for life lessons, and when making decisions, I’ll sometimes think to myself, “What would Brooke Davis do?” I think there’s a great deal we can learn from and aspire to when it comes to fictional characters. With that said, I think we should all aspire to be at least a little bit like Brooke Davis, and here is why.

1. She is proof that your past does not define your future.

“High school Brooke” was someone I could identify with well, especially in the last few years. She went through life making choices because they were easy and because she didn’t care. She decided somewhere along the way that she didn’t want to be that person anymore, and she changed her life. From the lost party girl to the happily married mother and owner of Clothes Over Bros, she took leaps to create a future for herself that she (and others) once hadn’t believed was possible.

“I stopped letting boys define me, and I started believing in myself and in my potential…”

2. She was unapologetic in her vulnerability.

Something I always admired about Brooke was that she never apologized for feeling the way she did and for expressing those feelings. Whether it was tearfully expressing her desperation for Lucas to want her back or confronting Victoria about her lack of motherly love, Brooke never held back when it came to making sure people knew how she felt about them. She felt deeply without apology, and she never tried to hide that.

“I am not pushing you away Lucas, I am holding on for dear life, but I need you to need me back!”

3. She went after her dreams fearlessly, but success didn’t change her.

Clothes Over Bros was created as a website by Brooke as a high school student, and four years after graduation, it has become a multi-million dollar company. She fought for her company time and time again, whether it was fighting Victoria or fighting against the effects of the monetary fraud committed by her mother and Millicent. And although she always comes out for the better, success never changed her. Brooke is always happiest in Tree Hill, surrounded by her friends and family; she never lets her ego grow too big, despite the fact that Clothes Over Bros has become wildly successful.

“Success is wonderful, but finding someone to love and having them love you back. Love is what it’s all about.”

4. She successfully handled both a career and a family.

Brooke Davis is proof that you can have a great career and wonderful family (as well as spectacular hair) all at the same time. She put her all into Clothes Over Bros, but her love for Julian and her children never took a backseat. She didn’t have to pick; the idea of choosing was absurd, because Brooke Davis knew she could handle it all, and so can anyone else who wants to.

“Do you know what my mother said to me when I told her I wanted to start a company? She said ‘your chances are one in a million,’ and I said, ‘Maybe I’m that one.’ And she said ‘You’re not.” And she was wrong, and whatever she thought she saw in me was wrong, because I am one in a million…and there is a child out there…and I could be a great mother to that child…”

5. She held out for what she deserved.

Brooke had been with numerous men in her life, from Lucas, to Felix, to Chase, even having the sex tape scandal with Nathan — but it wasn’t until Julian that she decided to settle down. She was not going to accept less than she deserved from any man; settling was never an option for her. Any time any man treated her like less than she deserved, she made sure he knew it, and then ended the relationship. We should all believe in ourselves and know we deserve the best, just like Brooke Davis did.

“Sometimes my heart aches at how good my life turned out, in a good way. It doesn’t mean there haven’t been hardships; there have been. But I’m here. And here is good.”

6. She was always there to listen and give great advice…

Any time Haley or Peyton needed a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on, Brooke was there. She always had words of advice, or even just reassurance that her friends were not alone in their struggles.

“Life kicks you around sometimes. It scares you and it beats you up, but there’s a day when you realize that you’re not just a survivor, you’re a warrior. You’re tougher than anything it throws your way, and you are, Peyton, you are.”

7. …but she also always had enough sassy comebacks ready for anyone who deserved one.

I (and many OTH fans) look back most fondly on every witty, snappy comment that ever exited Brooke Davis’ mouth. Her sass spread like wildfire. All I can do is sit in awe and wish that I will someday be as sassy and clever as Brooke Penelope Davis.

“I would punch you in the fake nose but you’d just go out and buy a new one.”

8. She fought back…

After she was attacked in her store, she refused to back down. She gathered up her courage to move past her fear and did everything she could to protect herself (she even learned how to handle a gun.) Brooke was open about her fears, but refused to let them cripple her.

“You don’t know me. I’m not the same girl from the store that night; she’s gone. You took my life, and you turned it into a nightmare. And all that I have thought about is that I hate you. I hate you…”

9. …but she knew when to let things go.

She had the chance to shoot her attacker, but took the higher road. Instead of choosing to hold the affair with Lucas over Peyton’s head forever, she recognized when enough was enough and chose instead to rekindle their friendship and let it go. She definitely knew how to fight dirty when necessary, but she also was able to be the bigger person and not dwell over conflict.

“…I hate you. I hate you so much. But you’re not worth any more of my time. And you’re not worth my life.”

10. “Brooke Davis is going to change the world someday. And I’m not even sure she knows it.”

Quote Lucas Scott in “An Unkindness of Ravens.” And Lucas Scott knows what he’s talking about.