This article will essentially serve as an ode to my favorite actress / number one celebrity role model- Sophia Bush.
My love for this amazing woman started back when I only knew her as the fabulous Brooke Davis from The WB’s One Tree Hill. Perhaps you may know her from her other roles as one of John Tucker’s love conquests or from her current role as a bad-ass cop on NBC’s new series, Chicago P.D. Sophia is from California, just celebrated her 32nd birthday, her father is a successful photographer, she is a huge fan of Chicago-style food (atta girl!), and is a lover of yoga, dogs, and traveling. However, her bio goes way beyond these simple facts.
My obsession with One Tree Hill quickly grew to become an obsession with Ms. Sophia Bush herself. My twin sister and I have always admired her beauty, class, and humanitarian work and even fought over her as our number one female celebrity crush! I mean I even tried to style my prom hairdo after one of Sophia’s looks from an OTH episode! She is the one celebrity that I allow myself to truly fan-girl over.
Since I am clearly very passionate about my admiration for this woman, I thought that I would try to convince our readers to share the same view. So without further ado, here is my list of the top ten reasons why Sophia Bush should be your new celebrity role model (/girl crush).
1. She is incredibly beautiful on the inside and outside.
Even though I believe that it is Sophia’s inner beauty that makes her stand out, I want to first start off by addressing her outer beauty. Please excuse me, but I am giving myself a free pass to be momentarily superficial here. Sophia’s yoga-toned body is envy-provoking, her newly blonde-highlighted hair is perfect for summer, that pearly-white smile is contagious, and her awesome style makes her rock every red carpet she steps on. I mean, come on, this girl is gorgeous! Plus her signture raspy voice is always a crowd favorite. Not to mention her recent cover picture and spread in Maxim– wow! I seriously do not think that it is possible for Sophia Bush to take a bad picture.
2. She is one of those “real” celebrities.
What I mean by this is that Sophia does not try to make herself out to be this perfect person (even though some may beg to differ). She is a real person who comes with her fair share of charming quirks and charismatic flaws. She loves eating burgers, admits to skipping out on yoga sessions, hitting the snooze button one too many times, and has expressed her honest dislike of running. Sophia has also admitted to being addicted to her daily coffee, social media, and Law & Order. And you thought you were the only one!? In order to unwind and relax from her super busy schedule, she requires a certain amount of time with her girlfriends, and enjoys boxing and meditating. Sophia has also admitted to making mistakes in her past personal life, but always manages to classily grow from them. Â
3. She has played some pretty awesome characters.
Whether you have watched her as the loving and loyal Brooke Davis or the strong and determined Officer Lindsay, there is no doubt you know that this girl can act. However, I believe that there is something truly special about the roles that she plays that help her stand out so much as an actress. Having watched One Tree Hill for years, I feel like I had the privilege to grow up alongside the show’s incredible group of characters. Sophia was able to take Brooke’s character from a spoiled, trouble-maker in the early seasons, to a talented businesswoman, loyal friend, and altruistic mother and wife at the show’s finish. As far as her character Lindsay goes on Chicago P.D., I cannot wait to see where the series takes her character and how it grows Sophia as an actress. Ms. Bush has expressed how much she enjoys playing strong, relatable, female characters that can serve as role models for young girls. I believe she deserves a round of applause for seeking to serve as a role model in both real life and on television.
4. She is committed to making a difference.
With her busy schedule, the amount of humanitarian and activism work that this girl manages to fit in is crazy! Sophia has been well known for being involved with many different charities and praised for her selfless volunteer work. She is passionate about LGBTQ rights, a diverse array of women’s issues, climate change, and bringing clean water and education to children in poorer countries. Some of the many organizations she is involved with include: Pencils of Promise, I Am That Girl, Invisible Children, Girl Rising, DoSomething, and Run for the Gulf.  She often uses Twitter to advocate for different groups and issues. She was even involved in major trending hashtags such as #bringbackourgirls, #loveyourselfie, and #yesallwomen. Sophia does not only simply tweet about these issues, but has actually recently traveled to the Middle East through the I Am That Girl group with some friends. This particular organization is a community of women who aim to empower young girls to feel “beautyFULL” and promote self-love. Sophia is also a talented writer and even wrote the foreword to her friend Alexis Jones’ book, I Am That Girl.
5. She recognizes the importance of strong friendships.
Even though she has become good friends with many of her fellow actors, what is so special about Sophia is that many of her friends are not famous. Her besties range from inspiring authors, to past American Idol contestants, to aspiring designers. Her fans are used to seeing these ladies all over Sophia’s Instagram going on vacation, out to eat, and letting loose together. During interviews she is constantly praising her great group of girlfriends for their supportive and loving friendships. Not surprisingly, this support goes both ways, as Sophia always helps to promote the projects and ventures of her friends. These ladies even just threw Sophia a surprise party at her parent’s house for her 32nd birthday. Talk about awesome friendships!
6. She is not afraid to get down and dirty.
While Sophia is an incredibly classy lady, she is also very adventurous, brave, and a bit of a tom-boy. You can find videos on Youtube of her throwing out the first pitch at a recent Dodgers baseball game. Seriously, this throw was quite impressive. Her fearless side also comes out as she performs her own stunts on the set of Chicago P.D. She even ended up in a neck brace once after slipping on some ice while filming in the polar vortex that is Chicago in the winter time. She is also part of a campaign for the organization I Am That Girl that invites the winner of a contest to go skydiving with Sophia herself! Skydiving, people! Like many of us, she has also been bitten by the travel bug. Sophia enjoys traveling to remote places and most recently did some humanitarian work all the way in Jordan. I have a feeling that Ms. Bush would not be too concerned if she accidently broke a nail doing any of the above activities.
7. Â She is an incredibly classy lady.
Like all celebrities, Sophia is used to being in the limelight. She is followed by paparazzi and has many eyes on her at all times. However, for a celebrity who gained fame so young, she has an impressively clean track record and manages to keep much of her private life under wraps. In terms of her love life, I personally envy Sophia for the amount of amazingly good-looking gentlemen she has dated in the past. This is probably because I grew up having baby crushes on several of the OTH men who she actually dated in real life! Anyway, even though some of these relationships ended poorly, she is now able to talk very eloquently about them. Not surprisingly, she handles each situation with a great deal of class and grace. If only we could all do that after a breakup! Stay classy Sophia.
8. She is not afraid to let her inner fan-girl out.
Even though she is a famous celebrity herself, Sophia also has a fair share of her own celebrity crushes. And the best part is that she loves the same celebrities that we do! In one particular interview, Sophia stated that if her life were ever to be turned into a movie, she would want her character to be played by Emma Stone. We like your taste girl! Another one of my favorite actresses that Sophia is also a huge fan of is the lovely Mariska Hargitay. Like Sophia, Mariska also plays a bad-ass police officer in another Dick Wolf series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. The characters from their two shows united for a cross-over episode and Sophia was very vocal about her excitement. The combination of these two beautiful, strong women make me want to become a cop myself!
9. She is very appreciative of her fans.
One of my absolute favorite things about Sophia (and clearly there are a lot) is how much gratitude she shows. She understands how much of an influence her fans have had on her success and is constantly thanking them for their loving support. Sophia makes sure to keep them updated and involved in her life by doing Q&A sessions on Twitter, live tweeting during episodes of Chicago P.D., and giving them shout-outs on Instagram. She is extremely passionate about what she does and expresses her gratitude on a daily basis.
10. Sophia Bush = girl power!
As a student at an all-girls college, I am surrounded by people who support the success and advancement of young women. The motto for us Saint Mary’s students has always been to be “classy and fabulous”. I cannot think of a celebrity who better fits this description than Ms. Sophia Bush. Like a Smick chick, she fearlessly pursues her passions, gives back through volunteering, recognizes the importance of strong female friendships, does not believe in limiting the power and success of women, and strives to be a role model for young girls. Sophia has an unmatched energy and zest for life that I believe all of us Smicks should strive to achieve. Â