Many things are criticized about socialism, but one serious topic is rarely mentioned. Back then, unlike today, it was not easy to see a nude woman. Things changed dramatically in 1968 with the appearance of the magazine Čik.
To get around the strict laws, the editorial staff created a magazine devoted to puzzles, crosswords, and brain teasers, calling it “Čik pogodi” (“Čik Guess”). Over time, the crossword puzzle on the cover became smaller and smaller, while the semi-nude woman beside it became larger and increasingly revealing, until one day the woman was completely nude, the crossword had disappeared, and so had the word “pogodi” (“guess”) from the title.
This “puzzle magazine,” as it was officially registered until it ceased publication, was edited by Ljubiša Kozomara, Gordan Mihić, Matija Bećković, and others. Today, Matija Bećković is a member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, while Kozomara and Mihić, together and separately, wrote and signed screenplays for numerous television series and films.
Čik was published twice a month on poor-quality paper, but its contents were varied: entertainment gossip, interviews with popular performers, erotic serials in the form of pseudo-historical novels from the East, Kama Sutra installments that ran continuously, and, for a period, the magazine’s most popular feature—the “letters from readers.” In these letters, readers described their erotic experiences or asked questions that the editors answered at length, such as: “My sister and I were home alone. She came into the bathroom while I was taking a shower…” and similar stories that were no more innocent than the plots of pornographic films.
A considerable amount of space was also devoted to classified advertisements, through which prostitution was first advertised discreetly and later much more openly. Examples included: “Female masseuse at your home 85/65/98” or “Male masseur for older ladies, green eyes.”
Every year, Čik organized a beauty contest for high school girls called Miss Bambi, publishing photographs of teenage contestants in swimsuits. Today, such a competition would almost certainly come under legal scrutiny. Of course, the magazine also featured nude women, but none of its photographs were more explicit than those published today in many daily newspapers. Before long, Čik inspired imitators such as Eva i Adam (Eve and Adam), Dvoje (Two), and others—more provocative, but not necessarily more interesting.
