The way in which a person carries themselves, acts, or performs speaks volumes to those around them. Using Richard Schechner's definition of performance as all of the activity of a person at one point that may influence another, it can be said that performance is what people use to characterize and judge others, whether negatively or positively. This performance will be seen as good or bad according to the stigma, as Erving Goffman defined it, that is associated with the performance. Michelle Obama wrote in her senior thesis while at Princeton University that the socioeconomic road she was taking would lead her to integration or assimilation, but would only allow her to remain "on the periphery of society, never becoming a full participant." This feeling of being on the periphery is what can be interpreted as anxiety stemming from her performance, which is stigmatized because of her identity as an African-American female. This research examined the performance of First Lady Michelle Obama, the media's discourse about her performance (as a Black woman), and any possible anxiety that may have resulted from her performance. This study was completed in order to understand her shift in performance (reintroduction) and the stigma around her performance during her husband's, Barack Obama, presidential campaign. As well as to understand the discourse around this shift and any anxiety that may have been experienced from this. A critical analysis was done on the literature and televised footage surrounding her performance as well as of the literature on performance, stigma, and Black feminist thought. The research found that there was a slight change in her performance during her husband's campaign; which was fostered by campaign officials and which previous literature suggest may cause some type of performance anxiety.