Most people aren't attracted to an entire gender so why do we frame attraction in those terms so much?

I'm fundamentally attracted to women and turned off by men. It's the simplest way to describe my sexual orientation. The fact that I'm not attracted to all women doesn't change that.

- For what it’s worth I think most of your theory is correct.
- Well, yeah, the spectrum certainly exists, but almost all of us fall hard to one side or the other.
  I've heard it described as a bimodal distribution. Bisexuality seems pretty common though. Statistics say it's more common for women to identify as bisexual than lesbian. The majority of women I've dated have been bisexual, but with a preference for men. Most non-straight men I've known have been fully homosexual. Personally, I'm straight. I've always had a hard time trying to figure out what a conventionally attractive man was (mostly to make myself more attractive), and still sometimes get surprised when someone describes a particular man as attractive. I find most women physically attractive, at least in certain ways (though I have certain preferences, of course). Personality seems to be what makes or breaks the attraction for me.
That doesn't resolve the question though. What does it mean to be "fundamentally attracted to women" if you're not actually attracted to most women?
- I'm attracted to femininity, first and foremost. Femininity is a requirement, and it's not flexible. But then there are other more flexible preferences about specific appearance or personality details I might like in a woman.

Liking ice cream doesn't mean you have to like every single flavor.

Most people don't like every single movie, so why do people say they like movies?

Comparison would check out if we said Oxygen every time instead of air.

I would consider myself generally attracted to an entire gender. The degrees of attraction is what varies. It goes from low to high based on something mysterious in my brain. I also recognize that is how I happen to be wired but others are wired differently. In the end, that diversity of wiring keeps humans interesting and diverse in both thinking and biology.

Technically speaking I would assume you are at most attracted to an entire gender of your own species, possibly also limited to certain age ranges.
- True. And funny thing to add to that. As I age, so does that wiring. Where I used to put more weight on appearance, I'm now more likely to be turned off by certain behaviors one might describe as pedantry.
- When I was younger let's say 10, I couldn't understand how people found older people attractive. It is amazing how it changes over time. Had you asked me if I thought a 50 year old women could be attractive, to me at 10, never could have.. at 35.. they are slowly becoming more and more attractive.

Because we lack the cultural vocabulary to be more specific. And because people defy such attempts at categorization.

Lol it is bizarre, people do suggest having a "type"

I'm attracted to Tofu. and also coding. you could say i'm attracted to 'some things'.