"I'm a damsel. I'm in distress. I can handle this."

There are a few Disney girls who do attempt to dispel the damsel in distress stereotype, especially in more recent movies. One such girl who comes from a little further back is Meg from Hercules. When we meet Meg, she's got moxie. She doesn't need a man and doesn't want help. I always loved Meg because of this first impression. She had attitude and sarcasm. She was real, not some sickly sweet version of man's idea of what women should be. But even a girl as kick-ass as Meg ends up needing rescuing by, of course, a big strong man. In the end, she's shown as weak. She would have died if Hercules hadn't played the hero and literally dived into death to save her. She's also shown as weak in a different way, earlier in the movie. In fact, she's shown as having the stereotypical female weakness- emotions. She gives up her freedom for a guy she loves, who then leaves her for someone else, and that's what turned her into the jaded girl we meet and love at the beginning. Then, when she falls for Hercules, she becomes a little less sarcastic. She loses some of her sass. But it's not shown as a negative thing. Instead, falling in love with Hercules seems to make her softer, kinder, and in some ways, happier.

My question is: Why does she have to lose her strength and moxie to be in love? Wouldn't it have been a better story if she hadn't changed so much?

Sources:

Disney's Hercules