Brooke Davis: Top 5 Reasons She's a TV Icon

Brooke Davis started off as a party girl. A bit of a one-dimensional, boy-crazy juniour in high school who was popular and a bit of a bitch. She ran free with absent parents and lived in a big house, and that seemed like the basis of her character. However, from her introduction in episode 2 (because criminally, she wasn't in the pilot), Brooke's relatable line: "I think about the future sometimes and it scares me" revealed more depth to her character.

As nine seasons went on, Brooke played by the incredible Sophia Bush had a stellar development through her relationships, friendships, motherhood, and her career as a fashion designer with the iconic, Clothes Over Bros clothing line. In this article, we are going to look at 5 reasons why Brooke Davis is a TV icon and if you haven't, why you should watch OTH just for her!

1: She was an incredible mother figure 

In the later seasons of the show, Brooke expresses her desire to have a child. In her early twenties, she has all the success financially but nobody to share it with. In a comical exchange, Brooke tells her best friend Peyton she wants to have a baby and a flabbergasted Peyton questions her: "With me?". Of course, that would've been a progressive storyline for the time, but that wasn't what the writers were going for!

Instead, Brooke fosters a needy baby named Angie who has a heart condition until she is prepared for an operation to mend her heart issues. Even as a young foster mother, Brooke is attentive and kind to Angie and even though she loves her, lets her go after her operation to be returned to her parents. 

In the same season, as she returns to Tree Hill, Brooke develops a strong bond with Jamie, her friend Haley's 5-year-old son. Brooke protects Jamie with her life several times and even goes with him on outings and babysits him. At one point, she even saves his life, but we will get into that later.

Even in season 6, Brooke willingly takes in troubled teenager Sam played by Ashley Rickards from Awkward. Sam is homeless and steals from Brooke's clothing store, yet Brooke still graciously gives her a chance and becomes her provider. Brooke provides her with a stable, loving home and even though Sam tests Brooke's limits and her rules, she continues to be the parental figure Sam never had as she was given up by her birth mother. Brooke is attacked at her store, and Sam finds out it is a guy named Xavier. Sam eventually leaves Brooke's home to go off with her boyfriend, Jack, after Brooke kicked ass against her attacker and recused Sam from him. Even after giving birth to her own children, Brooke is fiercely protective and loyal to her children. She proves throughout the series she's got the biggest heart and is an amazing caregiver.

2: Her determination to succeed in life

Brooke's determination is one of the greatest character traits she has. As early on as season two, she expresses the desire to do more with her life. Even if she's seen as the stereotypical pretty head cheerleader, she throws those labels away. She runs and wins the student body presidential election in season two with words and a campaign from her heart. Best friend Mouth even gives a heartwarming speech to the students about why they should vote for Brooke. 

She develops her speech and image all by herself with a bit of help from Luke and goes on to be an inspiration for her fellow students. Mouth details all the reasons to vote for Brooke: her heart, her ability to see beyond the surface, and her resilience. 

On top of that, when Brooke's parents run low on money she steps up and gets a job. She starts at a seafood place (for like two episodes) and then ends up working at a clothing store, Suburban Filth. Here as Brooke works, she begins to develop sketches of fashion designs under the name, 'Clothes Over Bros', inspired by her and best friend Peyton's ritual of declaring hoes over bros. 

Even though it seemed impossible, Brooke set her mind to developing a fashion line with her sketches and the help of Peyton with her artwork. She does this all at 17, bear in mind, and even when she gets a chance to showcase the clothes on a global runway, she declines knowing she will make her dreams come true another time. And that she does!

Brooke is an inspirational female character because her self-belief and confidence growth are slow. In the early seasons, her worth is defined almost entirely by popularity and boys as she pines for Lucas. By her senior year, she realises she is all she needs. Her worth becomes less about how men view her, and how she views herself and her potential. 

3: She is a badass who saved everyone

There is no debate that Brooke Davis is the toughest woman in Tree Hill. Her unwavering bravery against dangerous situations even as a teenager makes her the best character on the show! Lucas Scott even declares: "You save people, Brooke Davis," and boy, is he right.

In season 4, Brooke and Peyton's relationship is rocky. However, when Peyton doesn't show up to prom, Brooke wants to go to check on her. In this sinister storyline, Brooke comes face to face with Peyton's obsessive stalker,  Psycho Derek, who was masquerading as her brother. A physical fight ensues where Brooke is able to attack him with moves from eighth-grade cheer camp. Despite their differences and rocky relationship, Brooke puts it all aside to save her best friend while knowingly putting herself in danger.

She does the same later with Sam when she ends up taking on Xavier. After her attack, she's a shell of a person but after figuring out Xavier attacked her, she beats him up and holds him, hostage. She repeats this again when he comes back after being paroled and kicks his ass for a second time. 

In a third time, our fearless girl dives head first into a potential death when she tries to save Jamie from a car crash in the storm. The car gets knocked into the river by a hit-and-run driver, and both get trapped. Julian, the love of Brooke's life battles to try and save her. Brooke decides against it, pleading with him to save Jamie, declaring he's 'just a boy'. She does this without hesitation, without a thought for her life or the potential death she may be facing. She sacrifices herself for him, her godson, and selflessly is willing to die if he lives. 

Time and time again, she takes on her demons face to face without a second thought. In the face of danger, her goal is to save others and then protect herself. She is a fighter through and through and comes out swinging every time.

4: Her effortlessly fun and girly fashion

Brooke Davis' fashion is another reason why we love her. Brooke's outfits are always beautifully coordinated with elements of girliness and on-trend pieces. She is never afraid to take risks with her fashion or be comfortable. She is often seen in low-rise jeans and in season one, a range of Juicy Couture tracksuits in fun colours. 

Her fashion is always representative of her personality which is wild, fun and versatile. She isn't afraid to wear department stores or designer brands, as we can see from her tiny handbags and designer items that she rocks as she becomes the CEO of Clothes Over Bros. She never cares what others think about her clothes, and she is always one to stand out from the crowd. She knows her silhouettes and her best colours (red is one of them), and will forever be known as a Y2K fashion-it girl.

5: She has a huge heart and infinite love to give

Brooke's resilience and belief in love make us root for her character throughout every season of One Tree Hill. After all, it takes her six seasons to find her forever person and after numerous heartaches and short-term relationships, she still believes in love. 

She has all the reasons not to from infidelity, to being the second choice to concentrating on her career, yet she does. Brooke pours her love into her friends. She is constantly there for Hayley and lets Peyton stay with her when she gets back to Tree Hill. She does the same for her old nemesis and ex-friend Rachel. 

Even with her terrible parents who didn't raise her, she uses business as a way to try and be close with them. Her dragon of a mother, Victoria, constantly puts her down yet Brooke takes it and even when their business relationship ends, she just wants her mother to be close. She forgives people who wrong her, even when they don't deserve it and tries to love them nonetheless. 

Brooke puts her own needs aside for the love of others and their happiness. She lets lovers go, she saves her friends and she gives people the benefit of the doubt. In the end, her big heart and the love she gives are the purest things she has to offer and she does it without expectation to be treated in the same way.

Only when she opens herself up again to romantic love does she finally understand what it feels like to have that love reciprocated by someone with the purest intentions. And goddammit, does she deserve it!