As a 5ft1in woman with short legs, the good news is that there really are not many bikes to choose from because of our size....thus you will have limited options and have to pick from a few instead of a ton of choices.
That said, I am thinking hard about switching from my full suspension to a hard tail. I still have not yet had a chance to ride a hardtail 650B yet.
Why am I thinking of switching from a full suspension to a hard tail? Because I want to climb better. I hate going downhill fast. Since I usually am not jumping over things and not sitting much going downhill anyways, maybe a hardtail would be better for me overall.
Ride the bikes over curbs and bumps and up hills and see what your body favors the most.
As to "damaging" the bike as a newbie...these are mountain bikes. They are made more durable. As a clumsy newbie, so far, my bikes have not broken yet.
Plus, a lot of us are upgrading as soon as we buy a bike due to bike lust. So, I would just get the best bike that fits in your budget. The more expensive bikes are more enjoyable because they are lighter and shift better which means more fun to ride.
2014 Liv Lust
2013 Specialized Fate Expert with carbon wheelset (sold)
2012 Specialized Amira Elite
2010 Santa Cruz Juliana with R kit and Crampon pedals (sold)
2011 Specialized Ariel Sport,suspension post,Serfas Rx Women's Microfiber saddle (sold)